The Collectors' Auction 2012
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Please Note: A 15% Buyers' Premium is added to the hammer price of all lots in this sale.
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(About The Images)
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Lot Title:
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1861-S Paquet PCGS Genuine (code 92, as described).
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Description:
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PCGS code-92 (apparent AU-55/cleaned). Anthony C. Paquet (1814 - 1882) came to America at age thirty-five and opened an engraving shop in New York. Practical experience at his craft led to subsequent contract work with the Philadelphia mint, and ultimately to a full time position as assistant engraver. Paquet never became Chief Engraver, but his legacy rests securely upon the many patterns and medals he engraved during his tenure. In addition to such standard duties, Paquet was given various assignments to improve the designs of U.S. coins, not the least of which was the reverse of the double-eagle, in 1861. Paquet's altered reverse for the double-eagle essentially duplicates Longacre's existing work, with the most obvious difference found in the typeface for the peripheral lettering. These are taller and narrower on the new design, calling for slightly more separation between, while the rays beneath have been shortened and elevated slightly to allow the oval of stars to rest in a flat, uncluttered field. Double-eagles were struck with the new Paquet reverse in Philadelphia and San Francisco, but mint officials quickly realized that the new design utilized a slightly enlarged field, and therefore a narrower rim. This was considered unacceptable, and striking was quickly discontinued, with the old design forced back into service. Famously, only two 1861 Philadelphia examples remain in existence, the rest of the "Paquet Reverse" double-eagles coming from the San Francisco mint. Extensive hairlines course over this example, yet they are faint if the coin is viewed at advantageious angles. Indeed, original cartwheel effect remains when the coin is tilted back and forth at perfectly normal viewing rotation. Turn the coin anti-clockwise about twenty degrees, however, and the hairlines take on an unfairly harsh appearance. Fortunately, as is implied by our "apparent AU-55" assessment, very little wear actually shows on either side, with the reverse exhibiting only an absolute minimum of rub. A few crumbles of rust-brown residue dot the coronet and a few stars on the obverse, and both sides display an occasional contact mark as expected of light circulation. (PCGS# 008936)
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Low Estimate:
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$35,000.00 |
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High Estimate:
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$40,000.00 |
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Lot Status:
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Bidding has been closed for this lot. |
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Hammered Price: |
$59,000.00
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Price Realized:
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$67,850.00 |
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Price history for items of the same classification:
| Lot # | Auction | Current Bid or Hammer Price | Description |
| 999 | The Midwest Winter Sale 2008 on 02/08/2008 | $1,750.00 |
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1861-S Coronet double eagle, NGC AU-50
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A recognizable date in the Coronet double-eagle series on account of the famed "Paquet reverse" (which this coin is not). Dusky yellow color permeates most of the visible surface, though mint luster... |
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| 1141 | The Midwest Summer Sale 2007 on 07/27/2007 | $1,850.00 |
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1861-S NGC XF-45.
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This admired San Francisco date is encapsulated in an older style NGC holder. Reasonably attainable at grade levels below MS-60, this particular specimen has a splendid orange glow. Still retaining... |
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