Arguably the most famous example of an 1804 Class III Draped Bust dollar, widely recognized as "the King of Silver Dollars," headlines an exceptional private collection that will be offered in Heritage’s FUN US Coins Signature®Auction Jan. 14-18.
The 1804 Class III Draped Bust Dollar is one of just 16 known examples of the 1804 silver dollar. The coin offered here is one of just seven Class III examples, and one of four Class III coins not housed in a museum collection.
"This is an incredible coin, because of its historical significance and its utter rarity," says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. "Very few examples exist. Six are in museums, meaning this is one of just 10 examples worldwide in private hands. It’s an incredibly rare and significant coin, and one that immediately will become a centerpiece of a new collection."
Several of the Class III 1804 dollars are among the most famous of all 1804 dollars and represent several of the museum pieces known today. Among the most notable are the famous DuPont coin, stolen in 1967 from the DuPont family estate by a band of thieves, later recovered in the early 1980s and subsequently donated to the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, and the Idler coin, which last appeared at auction in 1985 and was subsequently donated to the ANA.
But the Adams-Carter specimen offered in this auction is arguably the most prominent fixture among the Class III coins, boasting one of the longest provenances of any specimen and ranking for a period of decades as the finest Class III still held in private hands. This was the 1804 dollar owned by many of the most prominent collectors throughout history. Part of its pedigree is its history that includes stints in some of the most significant numismatic collections. Its history began with Captain John W. Haseltine, and later held spots in several elite collections, including but not limited to Phineas Adams, Amon G. Carter Sr., Waldo Newcomer and "Colonel" E.H.R. Green.
The Presidio Collection boasts an enhanced type set of U.S. coins based on condition and rarity and including several coins that are listed in Jeff Garrett’s 100 Greatest U.S. Coins book. Part I is being offered in FUN; Heritage will offer Part II of the Presidio Collection in its CSNS Auction April 29-May 3.
The FUN auction will mark the second time the extraordinary Adams-Carter Class III 1804 dollar has been offered at Heritage, where it sold in 2009 for $2.3 million.
This magnificent showstopper is just one of the exceptional offerings among the 41 lots from the Presidio Collection that Heritage will be offering at FUN.
Also among the collection’s highlights is the third-finest privately held 1854-S Liberty Quarter Eagle, XF45 CAC of just 13 known examples. The 1854-S Liberty quarter eagle is one of the landmark rarities of the United States gold series. The coin was created during the height of the California Gold Rush, in the infancy of the San Francisco Mint, and released into circulation far from any numismatic eyes that might have taken notice. Of the 246 pieces struck, most disappeared over the course of decades in the hard-money West, relegating the coin’s existence to merely a handful of pieces. Today it is one of the great rarities of the U.S. gold series.
A 1796 BD-3 With Stars Quarter Eagle, MS62 NGC. CAC, which is tied for the sixth-finest of roughly a dozen known Mint State specimens, features 16 stars arranged point to point, in an unusual arrangement that is similar to the orientation on 1794 silver dollars but on no other early U.S. coins. While the 1796 No Stars is the higher-visibility coin with its one-year type design, the With Stars variant is actually considerably rarer. Fewer than half as many With Stars (432) were struck as No Stars (963), and because the With Stars has the same design type as the successive years through 1807, it is an overlooked issue among early quarter eagles.
An 1808 Quarter Eagle, BD-1, MS63 NGC is among the 100 Greatest U.S. Coins and is tied for the second-finest known example. The 1808 quarter eagle was, along with the cent, part of the second group of denominations to receive the Capped Bust Left redesign, after the half dollar and half eagle the prior year. The Mint only struck a trifling 2,710 examples, making the 1808 quarter eagle a one-year type and a classic rarity in the U.S. series. It also represented the last quarter eagle production until 1821. Heritage experts have traced just 12 1808 quarter eagles in MS62 or finer, and in MS63 or finer, the population dwindles to half that. The finest is a single MS65, formerly in the collections of J. Hewitt Judd and Congressman Jimmy Hayes. After that are five MS63 examples, including the example offered in this auction, tying it for second-finest known.
Images and information about all lots in the in the Presidio Collection, and in the FUN auction, can be found at HA.com/1390.
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