Gobrecht's Raisinet Collection
| Image | Item | PCGS No. | Date | Denom | Grade | Pop | Pop Higher | Owner's Comments |
|
| Twenty Cents (1875-1878) | 5298 | 1875-S | 20C | MS65 | 177 | 64 | |
|
| Draped Bust Quarter, Small Eagle (1796) | 5310 | 1796 | 25C | AU58 | 17 | 33 | |
|
| Draped Bust Quarter, Large Eagle (1804-1807) | 5314 | 1806 | 25C | MS63 | 7 | 14 | 1806 25C MS63 B-3, R.1. A satiny and refreshingly unabraded Select Mint State example of this scarce early date. Tan-brown color graces most of the obverse, bounded by blue-green toning near the rims. The reverse is equally colorful, and features areas of aqua-blue and lavender patina. Some bluntness of strike in the centers and on the right side stars, not uncommon for the Draped Bust type. The superb, talented engraver Joseph Wright, designer of the Liberty Cap cent and half cent, was the first full-time engraver hired at the Philadelphia Mint. Tragically, he died in September 1793 during one of the annual yellow fever epidemics that killed so many early Philadelphia residents. Robert Scot was hired only two months later as chief engraver, a post he held until his death in 1823. Scot was born in 1744 and was already 50 years old when he began working for the Mint. Although Scot was later criticized for his modest talent and slow work style, among his improvements at the Mint were the use of device punches; for example, the whole head of Liberty, so that only the date, stars, and letters required addition to the working dies. By 1807 Scot, then 63, faced serious competition from a younger rival, John Reich, who was much more talented judging from each man's artistic accomplishments. Breen writes in his Complete Encyclopedia: "John Reich sold himself into indentured service to escape to the USA from the Napoleonic Wars. As early as 1801 his name came to official attention as one of the finest engravers in the country. Opposition from Robert Scot prevented the Mint from hiring him except for occasional odd temporary assignments. But in 1807, Scot's health (for which read failing eyesight) was a source of serious concern to officialdom; accordingly, the Mint hired Reich as assistant engraver at a pittance of $600 per year. "Reich's first assignment was to create new designs for gold and silver denominations: an insult to Scot. The first ones to benefit from Reich's attention were the denominations most in demand at banks: half dollars and half eagles." In 1796 and 1797 only the the Draped Bust (a.k.a. Fillet Head) obverse was combined with the Small Eagle reverse, which was in turn replaced in 1801 by the Heraldic Eagle reverse, an imitation of the Great Seal of the United States. Both designs are attributed to Robert Scot. In 1807, the last year of the Draped Bust quarter design, Reich joined the Mint as assistant engraver and the half dollar designs were modified yet again, this time to the familiar and ubiquitous Capped Bust or Turban Head design. Liberty now faced left and wore the Martha Washington-style "mob cap" on her head. The reverse features a more naturalistic eagle, although it bears a small shield attached to the center of its breast. The quarter was considered a less important denomination and didn't resume production until 1815, eventually also adopting the Capped Bust design. |
|
| Capped Bust Quarter, Large Size (1815-1828) | 5342 | 1828 | 25C | MS62 | 12 | 25 | 1828 25C MS62 B-4, R.3 as a business strike, R.7 as a proof. The Narrow Date, B-4 variety has less space between the 82, relative to B-1 through B-3. This specimen is a striking and rather proof-like example of this difficult early quarter type, richly toned in sea-green, plum-red, tan-gold and cobalt-blue. The final date in the Large Diameter series of Bust quarters, and unquestionably original with rich tonal qualities, the striking details are well brought up in all areas and both sides are perfectly centered. The definition of what constitutes a proof has become more strict within past decades. Only a handful of 1828 quarters have been certified as proofs. Speculating on the possibility of it being a proof, the fields do exhibit a noticeable glimmer when held beneath a light, but the effect is somewhat dampened by the layers of toning. |
|
| Capped Bust Quarter, Small Size (1831-1838) | 5348 | 1831 | 25C | MS63 | 47 | 74 | |
|
| Liberty Seated Quarter, No Drapery (1838-1840) | 5392 | 1839 | 25C | MS64 | 9 | 4 | Lustrous and Attractively Toned MS64 1839 No Drapery Quarter. Closed Claws Reverse. (The 1839 No Drapery is found both with the Closed Claws reverse of 1838, and the Open Claws reverse of 1839.) The device punches for what would become the Seated Liberty Quarter were completed by Christian Gobrecht during the summer of 1838. After 20 "specimens" were sent to Treasury Secretary Levi Woodbury, regular production commenced on September 29. The Philadelphia Mint produced at least 466,000 examples this year, all of which, like their 1839 and 1840-O No Drapery counterparts, lacked obverse drapery folds at Liberty's right (facing) elbow. All three of these issues are scarce in problem-free Uncirculated preservation, and what few coins have been certified at the upper reaches of the Mint State grading scale are usually snatched up quickly by type collectors when they appear on the market. Writing in 1991, Larry Briggs says of this issue: "Head, stars, and obverse dentils are poorly struck." Many examples of this issue are poorly struck, and this piece shows noticeable softness on the upper obverse and the right (facing) quadrant, and correspondingly on the lower reverse. The delectable original toning, in shades of silver-pink and electric blue, compensates somewhat, and there are few signs of contact. Seldom seen finer. From The Palakika Collection. |
|
| Liberty Seated Quarter, No Motto (1840-1865) | 5445 | 1858 | 25C | MS65 | 34 | 12 | 1858 25C MS65. The high mintage figures for Seated quarters inaugurated by the Mint Act of February 21, 1853 continued at the Philadelphia Mint through 1858. Arrows were removed from the design in 1856 after a three-year run, although they would briefly return in 1873. Although there was no longer a need for a distinguishing feature on the obverse or reverse of the Seated Quarter, mintage figures remained high at the Philadelphia mint from 1856 through 1861. The 1857 boasts the highest total in this group with more than 9.6 million pieces delivered. As such, it is a popular representative of the No Motto type in all grades. The high mintage 1858 Quarter is also one of the few issues of the No Motto type that can occasionally be found at the Gem level. From a large mintage of 7.3 million pieces, the 1858 Seated Liberty quarter is also a popular choice for type collectors seeking a No Motto representative. However, examples are seldom encountered at the Gem level of preservation. The present coin is a magnificent Gem, with pristine, brilliant surfaces and vibrant, frosty mint luster. Both sides are sharply defined by a razor-sharp strike, including the obverse stars and the eagle's neck feathers. The incredible visual appeal of this specimen is off the chart. Richly frosted and undeniably smooth, this coin is crisply detailed in all areas. |
|
| Liberty Seated Quarter, Arr & Rays (1853) | 5426 | 1853 | 25C | MS64 | 155 | 26 | Well Struck 1853 Arrows and Rays Near-Gem Quarter MS64. The 1853 Arrows and Rays quarter dollar is extremely common in circulated grades, as would be expected from a mintage of more than 15 million pieces. Mint State coins present a different picture, however. Uncirculated examples through MS64, while available with a little searching and patience, can be difficult to locate, and higher-grade pieces are quite elusive. This near-Gem specimen yields light golden-gray color over glowing luster, along with well struck design elements. A few trivial obverse marks prevent an even higher grade.
From The Lanterman's Mill Collection |
|
| Liberty Seated Quarter, Arrows NM (1854-1855) | 5432 | 1854 | 25C | MS64 | 62 | 24 | 1854 25C Arrows MS64. Delicate straw-gold patina graces this lustrous and intricately struck near-Gem. The few minor luster grazes are expected of the grade. High quality examples of the 1854 are always in demand as representatives of the briefly produced Arrows, No Rays, No Motto type. |
|
| Liberty Seated Quarter, With Motto (1866-1891) | 5524 | 1891 | 25C | MS65 | 63 | 30 | |
|
| Liberty Seated Quarter, Motto, Arr (1873-1874) | 5491 | 1873 | 25C | MS65 | 13 | 5 | |
|
| Barber Quarter (1892-1916) | 5601 | 1892 | 25C | MS66 | 104 | 32 | 1892 25C MS66. Mintage: 8,237,245. An impressive Gem with warm golden gray centers that give way to intense gold, violet, crimson, carmine, and other vibrant hues too numerous to mention. Sharply struck from a Type II reverse die with the eagle's right wing covering all but the serif of the E in UNITED. The difference between Type I and Type II quarters can be easily remembered by the mnemonic device "Now you see it, now you don't." On Type Ones, the middle serif of the E in UNITED is about halfway visible, while on Type Two quarters, the eagle's wing covers it. |
|
| Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 1 (1916-1917) | 5709 | 1917-D | 25C | MS66FH | 118 | 23 | 1917-D 25C Type 1 MS66 Full Head, Mintage: 1,509,200. Hermon Atkins MacNeil's Standing Liberty is one of the most beautiful designs ever to grace a U.S. quarter. The issues of 1916 and the first half of 1917 display Liberty with an exposed breast. For years, collectors have accepted Breen's story that the Society for the Suppression of Vice forced the modification of the original Standing Liberty quarter design on grounds of obscenity. While the society certainly voiced its opinion and exercised its political muscle, Treasury Secretary William G. McAdoo was the real driving force behind the introduction of the Type Two design in 1917. Fearing public criticism, McAdoo ordered the design change to preserve his own political ambitions. His presidential aspirations were, however, dashed in the elections of 1918 and 1924. The present coin is a brilliant, frosty example of one of the beautiful, underrated and short-lived Type-One-mintmarked Standing Liberty quarters. The D-mint 1917 Type One quarter sells for approximately twice as much as its P-mint counterpart, yet it is three to five times scarcer. The 1917-D Type One is not a rare coin in an absolute sense but, being a branch mint issue, is it not surprising that examples are a bit more elusive than those of the 1917 Type One production. This disparity widens as one progresses up the grading scale. Although not as common as its P-mint counterpart, the 1917-D Type One is still a popular issue for Gem quality type purposes. Once the early troubles were worked out with the modest number of pieces struck in 1916, the Type One design yielded consistently excellent strikes. As with many high grade survivors, pinpoint detailing embodies all the design elements of the present example of this first-year Denver issue. This is an uncommonly well-defined coin for the series, going beyond full definition of Liberty's head and gown lines. Fully struck on all the design features, the detail is superb not only of Liberty's head and gown, but there is also unusually sharp definition of the small feathers on the eagle's breast, and on the ear, neck, and throat of Liberty. There is a sharp line separating the hair, and the horizontal and vertical shield lines are fully brought up as well. Extremely appealing with intense mint luster and no mentionable distractions of any sort, the silver-white untoned surfaces display a characteristic matte-like texture, although with greater radiance than is normally seen. This is a truly amazing Standing Liberty quarter regardless of date. The striking details are especially notable and brilliant throughout, the surfaces exude a thick mint frost that rolls around each side unimpeded by the post-striking defects one would expect on a lower graded coin. |
|
| Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2 (1917-1930) | 5715 | 1917 | 25C | MS65FH | 188 | 83 | 1917 25C Type 2 MS67 Full Head, Mintage: 13,880,000. Partway through the year, the design of this coin type was modified with the revision labeled Type Two. Liberty no longer had an exposed breast, and three small stars were added to the reverse field below the eagle. Viewed through the macro lens of world history, the design of the Standing Liberty quarter is both ironic and prophetic. Although a few of the key-date 1916 issues were coined, only in early 1917 did the design become widely available. Liberty correctly holds the olive branch of peace in her right (left facing) hand, and in her left she holds a shield of protection and defense, from which she has removed its covering sheath. On the reverse, the eagle flies incorrectly (according to heraldic tradition) to its left, its less-honorable side. Of course 1917 was also the year that the United States entered World War I, after striving for years to maintain a position of neutrality. The present Gem example of this popular type coin has brilliant, untoned surfaces. The bold impression does not wane over either Liberty's head, the shield rivets, or the gown lines. Liberty's head boasts three full leaf sprigs and a clear ear hole. The shield lacks not even a single rivet, with full definition on the horizontal lines. On the reverse, the eagle's breast also displays pleasing overall definition. The sparkling mint frost imparts a silver-white appearance. |
|
| Washington Quarter, Silver (1932-1964) | 5864 | 1958 | 25C | MS67 | 261 | 3 | 1958 25C MS66. John Flanagan owes his numismatic fame less to artistic merit than to the fact that he was a man in the man's world of the early 20th century. In 1931, the Treasury Department decided to follow in the footsteps of the Lincoln cent and issue a circulating coin honoring the bicentennial of President George Washington's birth. After an open competition that the Treasury conducted in association with the Washington Bicentennial Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, judges chose Laura Gardin Fraser's masterful design. Even though art critics had admired Fraser's work since the introduction of the Oregon Trail commemorative half dollar in 1926, Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon's male chauvinism prejudiced the design selection process from the start. His choice, the design by John Flanagan, was confirmed as the winner and upheld even after Ogden L. Mills succeeded to the post of Treasury Secretary in early 1932. While Fraser's superior design remains unknown to all but a handful of numismatic scholars, Flanagan's obviously inferior workmanship can still be admired (albeit in slightly modified form for the state quarter program) on the quarters of today. This piece is a beautiful Superb Gem whose fully lustrous surfaces display pastel antique-gold and soft powder-blue iridescence drifting over the shimmering obverse. The reverse is untoned save for a crescent of tan-russet color near the rim between 9 and 3 o'clock. The underlying mint frost radiates through both sides and both sides are free of even the most inconspicuous bagmark. The design features are well impressed and the above average striking quality completes the tantalizing eye appeal. |
|
| Washington Quarter, Clad (1965-1998) | 5961 | 1996-D | 25C | MS67 | 539 | 35 | |
|
| Washington Quarter, Silver Bicentennial (1976) | 5898 | 1976-S | 25C | MS67 | 2270 | 553 | |
|
| Washington Quarter, Clad Bicentennial (1976) | 5896 | 1976 | 25C | MS66 | 252 | 99 | |
|
| Washington Quarter States reverse, Silver (1999-2008) | 913012 | 2000-S | 25C | PR69DC | 7251 | 242 | |
|
| Washington Quarter States reverse, Clad (1999-2008) | 14009 | 2002-D | 25C | MS67 | 678 | 94 | |
|
| Washington Quarter - Commemorative series, Silver (2009-Present) | | | 25C | | | | |
|
| Washington Quarter - Commemorative series, Clad (2009-Present) | | | 25C | | | | |