Coronet gold has held a long and attractive history over the years, having been minted in practically unchanged format between about 1838 and 1907 for each series. For many collectors, such a lengthy run of dates would inevitably involve too many rare and expensive coins, prohibiting acquisition of a complete set. Thus, as with many silver series, some prefer to assemble "short sets", and very often, the convenient range of 1900 through 1907 forms an ideal collection.In the gold eagle series, twenty-one coins are needed to fill that range of dates, and 1900-S is the key. In fact, it is the scarcest gold eagle dated after 1895, having a remarkably low mintage of 81,000 pieces. Uncirculated coins are seldom seen, and at the MS-64 grade level, the grading services have seen only three pieces between them, with just five grading higher. (Interestingly enough, population reports show two coins graded MS-68). In light of these facts, it is easy to imagine any grading service approaching a candidate with conservative mindset, and that seems to have been the case here.
For a large gold coin graded MS-64, surfaces are exceptionally clean, glowing with smooth, classic-gold luster and beaming with spangling bands of brightness. Hardly any contact marks are to be found on either side, the most obvious being a couple of short, lazy scratches dangling in front of Liberty's portrait. Glimpse of an occasional vague hairline is inevitable under a loupe, but without question, a high degree of careful preservation was an obvious benefactor for this marvelous coin. Notable on the left side is a dainty die-crack connecting "ITED S", and the lower serifs of AMERI are similarly connected. A short, curving strikethrough through "E" in STATES would serve as a convenient pedigree marker.