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 Replies: 31 / Views: 1,886 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11880 Posts |
Follow up to the thread below with a new coin. https://goccf.com/t/484466I was able to return the previous coin and purchased another as a few of these seem to be for sale at this time. Lucky me. Doug Winter recently sold an AU50 example for $19,000. There is also an MS62 example that is offered for six figures. I settled for this more modest one. Thoughts. Thanks!    To keep this post long-winded as usual, I won't rehash the history of this coin from my prior thread but I will add some more interesting facts from the research of StacksBowers numismatists, Doug Winter and David Akers that was left out of the previous thread. All 20,583 half eagles coined in Dahlonega in 1838 were struck by a single die pair, HM-1 or Winter-1A with a rarity rating of R3. Most of these were distributed regionally and saw extensive circulation. 1838-D half eagles in Fine and Very Fine grade are not unusual. Sylvia Gailey Head and Elizabeth W. Etheridge's work "The Neighborhood Mint: Dahlonega in the Age of Jackson" reports that the first coins struck at Dahlonega were half eagles. The first press run of 80 coins was struck on April 17, 1838, as recorded in a letter from Mint Superintendent Dr. Joseph J. Singleton to Philadelphia Mint Director Robert M. Patterson on May 1, 1838. Lacking good leadership and technical skills, the Dahlonega Mint got off to a rough start. Important equipment took ages to reach north Georgia from Philadelphia, or it never arrived at all. Quarter eagles were not struck until 1839, and new half eagle dies for 1839 were not received until April of that year. Though silver coinage was authorized by Congress to be struck in Dahlonega in 1840, the facility struck nothing but gold coins until its closure. Taken over by the Confederacy in 1861, the mint structure was left abandoned after the Civil War. In 1871, the building was given to the North Georgia Agricultural College. After the mint burned down in 1878, another structure was constructed on the foundation and now serves as an administration building for the University of North Georgia. Doug Winter writes for PCGS Coinfacts: The 1838-D half eagle is a very desirable issue. It is the first coin of this denomination struck at the Dahlonega Mint and the only Classic Head half eagle produced at this facility. It is less rare than one might believe but its popularity makes it one of the most highly valued Dahlonega half eagles. The 1838-D is one of the more available Dahlonega half eagles but its status as a one year type coin and as a first year of issue makes it extremely popular. It is fairly easy to locate in Very Fine and Extremely Fine and lower quality About Uncirculated pieces are available. It becomes very scarce in the higher About Uncirculated grades and extremely rare in full Mint State. STRIKE: The 1838-D is the best struck branch mint half eagle of this design. The obverse is usually well struck with all of the hair detail bold and defined. Some of the curls on the top of Liberty's head appear weak; this is due to incomplete definition in the design. The stars are mostly sharp while the denticles are clear. The reverse is also well struck. Unlike the 1838-C half eagle (which has weak wings and incomplete details on the eagle's right leg), the 1838-D generally shows fully defined feathers on the eagle and legs. SURFACES: Many are very heavily abraded with marks in the field which enter deep into the planchet. In fact, it is hard to find an 1838-D half eagle which is not seriously marked. Subject coin seller remarks include: Doug Winter reports that this date almost always comes heavily abraded, yet here we have the exception with uncommonly well-preserved surfaces and sharp remaining detail. Lovely lemon-gold coloration dominates with plenty of bright luster remaining. Me: Can't wait to examine this coin in hand. All known examples show a number of mint-made characteristics which serve as hallmarks of authenticity. There are two small die lumps in the ear of Liberty and die scratches on the throat and through the word LIBERTY. There are frequently a series of small clashmarks at the throat [Me: This can be seen clearly in the subject coin] and in the vertical lines of the shield. LUSTER: Higher grade 1838-D half eagles have frosty luster. The quality of luster is very good in comparison to the 1838-C half eagle. COLORATION: Original, uncleaned examples can show exceptionally nice coloration. Some have lovely orange-gold hues with coppery overtones while others show medium to deep green-gold shading. There are not many remaining which have a majority of their original coloration intact. EYE APPEAL: Most 1838-D half eagles have below average eye appeal due to the fact that they are heavily worn, cleaned and/or significantly abraded. But when this date comes nice, it can be among the most pleasing issues in the entire Classic Head half eagle series. There are approximately six to eight exceptionally nice 1838-D half eagles in existence with great color, nearly full luster, relatively clean surfaces and sharp, even strike. PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS: A remarkable group of 183w8-D half eagles was sold in the Heritage 1999 FUN auction as part of the North Georgia collection. The owner of the collection loved the design and history of this date and he acquired ten different specimens. These ranged in grade from Extremely Fine-45 to Mint State-62 and brought between $4,600 and $40,250. My personal favorite was Lot 7672. It was graded About Uncirculated-58 by PCGS and was notable for its magnificent multi-hued coloration. It brought $21,850, a record price for an About Uncirculated 1838-D half eagle. DIE VARIETIES: One die variety is known. Variety 1-A: The mintmark is located on the obverse; the only issue from this mint on which it is placed there. The mintmark is over the 3 in the date with the upright of the D over the ball of the 3. All of the numerals except for the second 8 are doubled at the base and the 8's have the distinctive style referred to as "fancy 8's". On the reverse, the tip of the feather is centered over the 5. The D in the value is centered between the branch stem and the denticles. The second A in AMERICA is centered between the C and the arrowhead. The reeding is wide. David Akers also in PCGS Coinfacts: The 1838-D is the third rarest date of this type after the 1834 Crosslet 4 and 1838-C. It is known in a wide range of grades but VF and EF are the grades one is most likely to encounter. I have seen only a few that by strict grading standards could be called uncirculated (the finest was Pine Tree 6/75) and not many more that were legitimately AU. IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.comEdited by numismatic student
10/24/2025 12:55 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1094 Posts |
Love the story thank you. I will say AU50. Some hits but doesn't appear to have a lot of wear. Pretty cool the D is not for Denver. LOL
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Moderator
 United States
187702 Posts |
A better example.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
11880 Posts |
Quote:
Pretty cool the D is not for Denver. LOL Of course. It stands for 'Dollars.'   IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.comEdited by numismatic student
10/23/2025 3:33 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
73747 Posts |
I'm at AU as well. Nice coin. Errers and Varietys.
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Valued Member
United States
250 Posts |
I would also say AU. A fair number of nicks on the obverse/reverse, but the Classic Head shows hardly any wear. A nice coin....congrats!
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Moderator
United States
15394 Posts |
Lovely coin, I say choicer than your prior example. I'm glad you were able to return the coin that had the obverse graffiti. Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.artEdited by nickelsearcher
10/24/2025 06:56 am
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
18640 Posts |
i like this one better as well. to these eyes a lot less circulation wear.
i think it would grade higher than 50. I'm at AU53
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36575 Posts |
Very little wear, at least AU-55.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3628 Posts |
That's a keeper. That's a nice strike for a Dahlonega coin!
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11880 Posts |
Thanks for your kind comments. Updated the original post for observations about this issue from Doug Winter and David Akers. IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.com |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11880 Posts |
Did a side-by-side since we don't get to grade these early half eagles often. On the left is the subject coin and on the right is the PCGS AU50 example that Doug Winter sold recently. Like the earlier coin I returned, the AU50 example seems to have scratches in the fields, particularly from Star 5 to the brow of Liberty. I was also wondering if the coin on the left shows abraided surfaces. Let me know if you have had experience with these before. Many thanks!   IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.comEdited by numismatic student
10/24/2025 1:26 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11880 Posts |
One thing that I observe is that the coin on the right side above appears to have been struck later when the dies had deteriorated to some extent. In the reverse, the denticles to the right of the eagle's left wing tip and above STATES are nonexistent on the coin at right but intact in the coin at left. The area inside the upset rim is protected and it would not make sense that just that area is devoid of detail through highly localized wear. It is more subtle in the obverse but the dentilation in the coin in the left seems pristine, while that of the coin in the right is beginning to show fading detail as you go around the coin.
IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.com |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36575 Posts |
Looks like different obverse dies were used, the numerals in the date look different.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11880 Posts |
@IGE, what are you seeing that is different? Even the dentilation below the date seems placed in the exact same place.   IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.com |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11880 Posts |
Found a clearer picture of the subject coin. This also shows that the 1 in the date seems to be repunched as the left serif at top, appears twice, one on top of the other on both coins, again matching exactly.  IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.com |
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Replies: 31 / Views: 1,886 |
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Posted 10/23/2025 3:28 pm
