1834 Classic Head Quarter Eagle. HM-2. Rarity-3. Large Head, Wide A M. MS-65 (PCGS). <strong>Die Variety:</strong> HM-2. Obverse 2: Large Head with a prominent indentation within the curls along the back of Libertys head. Bold repunching to star 2 also readily identifies this die. Reverse B: Just as easy to attribute as the obverse, this die exhibits unusually wide spacing between the letters AM in AMERICA. The obverse die of this variety also appears in the 1834 HM-3 pairing, the reverse in the 1835 HM-2 and 1836 HM-2 and HM-5 attributions.<p><strong>Die Emission Sequence: </strong>This variety was struck during calendar year 1834, after coins of the 1834 HM-3 variety.<p><strong>Die State: </strong>Both dies held up well during this press run, the surviving coins showing no cracks or other signs of significant die erosion.<p><strong>Estimated Surviving Population for the Variety: </strong>425 coins in all grades (per Daryl J. Haynor, 2020), or 27.5% of extant 1834 Classic Head quarter eagles.<p><strong>Strike: </strong>Fully struck apart from a touch of trivial softness to the central obverse high point, i.e., the prominent hair curl directly above Libertys ear.<p><strong>Surfaces: </strong>This HM-2 specimen exhibits beautiful olive-gold color with glints of reddish-rose iridescence around the peripheries. Satin to semi-reflective in finish, the surfaces are smooth and appealing overall with just a few identifying marks in the upper left reverse field.<p><strong>Commentary: </strong>Rare is the numismatic cabinet that includes even a single Gem Mint State Classic Head quarter eagle of any issue. The remarkable Virginian Collection opens with not one, but two PCGS MS-65s for the popular first year 1834. A small number of high quality Mint State survivors are known from the HM-2 die pairing, as here, suggesting that a few examples were saved alongside their more plentiful HM-1 counterparts due to the novelty of the design. A beautiful coin, expertly produced and preserved with the utmost care, this PCGS MS-65 would serve as a highlight in the finest gold type or date set. Daryl J. Haynor ranks this coin #8 on the list of finest known 1834 quarter eagles in his 2020 reference on Classic gold coinage. PCGS# 764688. NGC ID: 25FS. PCGS Population (all die marriages of the issue): 4; 3 finer (MS-66 finest). From the Daryl J. Haynor Virginian Collection. Acquired November 2014, via private treaty. The plate coin for the 1834 HM-2 variety in the 2020 Haynor reference on Classic Gold coinage.
