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Sale 46: The Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr. Collection

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$5 Liberty Head/No Motto (1861 -1866)

Lots 658-667 Lots 668-669

Lot 658

1861 $5 Liberty. Extremely Fine/About Uncirculated. Some flashy surfaces remain. Mintage 688,084.
Estimate $300 - 400.

Realized: $550

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Lot 659

1861 $5 Liberty. Very Good/Fine. Mintage 688,084.
Estimate $200 - 300.

Realized: $350

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Lot 660

1861-C $5 Liberty. PCGS graded EF-40. An important and popular Charlotte issue, with an original mintage of only 6,879 pieces. It has been alleged that 887 coins were struck after the Confederacy took control of the mint on April 20. (PCGS Pop. 17 in EF-40, 73 graded higher. Total of 100 in all grades, 9/24/11).
Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.

Realized: $3,750

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Lot 661

1861-D $5 Liberty. PCGS graded (Genuine, Cleaned), Details of About Uncirculated. Mintage 1,597, a very rare coin, of which only 75 to 100 examples are thought to exist today.
Estimate $7,500 - 10,000.

Realized: $35,000

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Lot 662

1861-S $5 Liberty. PCGS graded VF-30. The surviving population is estimated at less than 100 examples. Mintage 18,000 (PCGS Pop. 3 in VF-30, only 17 graded higher, the highest grade being a single AU-55 example. Total of 32 in all grades, 9/24/11).
Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.

Realized: $2,300

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Lot 663

1862 $5 Liberty. PCGS graded AU-55. Only 4,430 business strikes were minted. The Garrett-Guth gold Encyclopedia comments of this issue, "The date is rarer than most of the Charlotte and Dahlonega issues of the 1840s and 1850s. Only about two dozen 1862 half eagles have crossed the auction block in the last two decades. Mint State examples of the date are very rare and underrated … "

It is estimated than less than 100 coins exist today. (PCGS Pop. 7 in AU-55, only 3 graded higher, the highest grade being a single MS-62 example. Total of 33 in all grades, 9/24/11).
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000.

Realized: $11,000

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Lot 664

1862-S $5 Liberty. PCGS graded EF-45. The 1862-S is one of the great rarities of the half eagle series.

It appears that more higher grade circulated examples have been found in recent years as the average grade recorded by Ron Guth and Jeff Garrett was just over XF40. In their Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins that was published in 2006, these authors noted: "The date is very rare in any condition and seldom seen at auction or on the bourse floor. … The 1862-S half eagle is extremely rare in Mint State. Although two coins [now three] have been graded as such, the authors have never seen either example. The 1862-S half eagle is one of the few coins missing from the Smithsonian collection because the Lilly example is actually a fake."

Considering the experience of specialists such as Ron Guth, and Jeff Garrett, it is easy to understand the importance of this piece. (PCGS Pop. 8 in EF-45, only 12 graded higher, the highest grade being a single MS-62 example. Total of 38 in all grades, 9/24/11).
Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.

Realized: $8,000

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Lot 665

1863 $5 Liberty. PCGS graded EF-45. The Philadelphia Mint drastically reduced the number of half eagle mint in 1862 from more than 688,000 business strikes in 1861 to 4,430 in 1862. Incredibly, in 1863 they fell even further, to a mere 2,442 circulation strikes. The surviving population is estimated at 30 to 40 examples. (PCGS Pop. 3 in EF-45, only 13 graded higher, the highest grade being five AU-58 examples. Total of 22 in all grades, 9/24/11).
Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.

Realized: $6,750

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Lot 666

1864 $5 Liberty. PCGS graded AU-50. The mintage of 4,170 pieces only partially explains the rarity of the 1864 five. Not only were few produced, but of those that were struck many were melted. This date is rarely seen above Choice XF and there are only a couple of Uncirculated pieces known. The surviving population is estimated at 60 to 75 examples. (PCGS Pop. 5 in AU-50, only 15 graded higher, the highest grade being two MS-61 examples. Total of 40 in all grades, 9/24/11).
Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.

Realized: $5,000

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Lot 667

1865 $5 Liberty. PCGS graded EF-40. Trivial indentation in obverse field at top. Struck in the final year of the Civil War, the 1865 five dollar is a very rare coin. Only 1,270 pieces were produced. As if this low mintage is not enough to account for the rarity of the 1865, the Garrett-Guth reference points out that "Gold coins rarely circulated on the East Coast in this time period, and many of the examples produced were melted…It is also important to remember that collectors of the time preferred Proof coinage to the circulation-strike and branch mint issues. Very few were saved …" The surviving population is estimated at 30 to 40 examples. (PCGS Pop. 8 in EF-40, only 12 graded higher, the highest grade being a single AU-58 example. Total of 21 in all grades, 9/24/11).
Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.

Realized: $6,750

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Lots 658-667 Lots 668-669

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