An extraordinary coin so rare it carries a title of royalty will find a new home when it is sold in Heritage Auctions’ Long Beach/Summer FUN US Coins Signature Auction July 20-23.
The 1841 Quarter Eagle VF35 PCGS. Struck from the JD-1 dies, High R.6 is one of just 15 examples traced. Longtime numismatic expert Norman Stack tagged the coin with the “Little Princess” nickname in the description for a 1954 Davis-Graves auction, and the moniker has remained ever since.
“This is an impressive example of a classic numismatic rarity – one that has not been offered at auction in nearly 45 years” says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President of Heritage Auctions. “Former Mint Director James Ross Snowden mentioned the 1841 quarter eagle in his 1860 report on the Mint Cabinet, but it rarely reached the auction market. It wasn’t until after Edgar Adams, the celebrated numismatic author, mentioned that he knew of two examples that it grew in popularity – a surge in demand that is evident in the interest shown in this example.”
A spectacular Choice example of a 1907 Double Eagle High Relief SP64 PCGS is one of only three certified at PCGS from among the 12,367 that were struck in the coin’s first year. They all were specially struck from dies with almost three-dimensional sculptural design elements, which is why some numismatists felt they all should be considered the same – either all Proofs or all business strikes. Some of the characteristics used to designate High Relief double eagles are shielded by the plastic tabs that cover much of the edge lettering, but they are evident on this magnificent example.
A 1797 Capped Bust Right Quarter Eagle, AU55 NGC is a rare early U.S. gold issue from a mintage of just 427 pieces. Following the initial production of 66 quarter eagles that were delivered in 1796, mintages of this unwanted denomination remained small for years. Fewer than 3,000 quarter eagles were produced in the first three years of the denomination, including 432 that were delivered Jan. 14, 1797 – of which it is believed that only a couple dozen remain today, according to John Dannreuther, who estimates that 20 to 25 pieces are extant in all grades. This example is the eighth-finest known to Heritage Auctions experts.
An 1864 $3 PR64 Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC. JD-1, High R.6 is one of 14 to 16 surviving examples in all grades, according to an estimate by Dannreuther. Unimpaired 19th-century Proof gold coins and Proof three dollar gold coins are rare; in the case of the 1864 proof three, the reported mintage was just 50 pieces struck, all on February 11. How many of those were bought by the collecting public during that crucial Civil War year, however, is another matter. Dannreuther said the 1864 “should be a bit more available than the previous years, but it is about the same rarity as the 1862 and 1863 [with 35 and 39 proofs struck respectively].”
The finest known 1901-O Half Dollar MS67+ PCGS is the only example to boast the MS67+ grade of one of the major condition rarities in the series. The issue features one of the lowest PCGS Mint State populations of any date; only the 1892 Micro O and the 1896-O have smaller populations in Mint State. Heritage Auctions archives show 13 appearances of an MS66 specimen over three decades, including two previous appearances of this Superb Gem, which is the finest certified by a full grade point, and even outranking the Eliasberg and Emery-Nichols coins, each of which came directly from the New Orleans Mint in 1901.
A 1918 Lincoln Cent, MS68 Red PCGS is the finest example ever offered at Heritage Auctions. The 1918 Lincoln cent is common in most grades – it boasts a mintage of more than 288 million coins – which leads many to believe the offered example is anything but extraordinary. But Red Superb Gem examples, which are essential for a high-ranking Registry Set, are rare. This magnificent example is one of the finest examples in existence, one of just three MS68 Red coins certified by PCGS.
A 1918/7-S Quarter FS-101 MS64 Full Head NGC is an exceptional example of the rarest issue of the Standing Liberty quarter. Heritage’s roster of high-grade Full Head 1918/7-S quarters includes just 12 known in MS63 or finer Full Head condition; the finest are two MS64+ Full Head coins, one of which, pedigreed to Eugene Gardner, recently set a new world record for the most valuable Standing Liberty quarter to sell at auction when it realized $336,000 USD in The Simpson Collection, Part I in September 2020. No Gem Full Head coins are known.
In addition to these exceptional individual coins, the auction includes several notable collections, among them the Selections from the Perfection Collection, the Glen Oaks Collection, the Davin Collection, and the Newark Abbey Collection.
Bidding on the “Little Princess” and all other lots in this auction is ongoing at Coins.HA.com.
