1840-D Liberty Head Quarter Eagle. Winter 1-A. MS-62 (NGC). Truly remarkable technical quality for a Dahlonega Mint gold coin regardless of denomination or date, this first year 1840-D quarter eagle really needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. It is sharply struck with essentially full detail throughout the design on both sides. The only exception — and it is an extremely minor one — is a touch a softness to the eagle’s right leg on the reverse. The finish is noticeably prooflike, a bit more so on the obverse than the reverse, although reflective tendencies are readily evident in the fields on both sides. The color is a warm blend of olive and orange-gold with a tinge of pale silver discernible. This is the CC#1 coin for the issue in the 2013 Winter census. As a sharply struck early die state specimen with a prooflike finish and extraordinary surface preservation, it is strongly suggestive of a coin that was intended to be saved as a representative of this first year issue. Such intent and follow through are both exceedingly rare occurrences for pre-Civil war era Southern gold coinage. An exciting offering for advanced collectors that is sure to see spirited bidding.<p>The Winter 1-A die pairing has the mintmark leaning to the right, as opposed to upright on its 1-B counterpart. The former variety is typically seen with extensive cracks on both the obverse and reverse. Writing in the 2003 edition of his reference on Dahlonega Mint gold coinage, Doug Winter observes:<p><em>"An early die state example of this variety, without cracks, was illustrated in the first edition of this book. Such pieces are extremely rare."</em><p>The offered coin is the example referred to by the author, and it is the plate coin in the referenced book. PCGS# 7719. NGC ID: 25GC. Combined PCGS and NGC Population: 1; 0 finer. Ex New Netherlands sale of November 1956, lot 219; our (Stacks) sale of the Harold L. Bareford Collection of United States Gold Coins, December 1978, lot 86; Hancock and Harwell; Dr. Arthur Montgomery; our (Stacks) session of Auction 84, July 1984, lot 1309; Georgia collection; Hancock and Harwell; Leon Farmer; Hancock and Harwell; Dukes Creek Collection; Heritages sale of the Dukes Creek Collection, April 2006 Atlanta ANA Signature Auction, lot 1495; Stellar Collection. The plate coin for the issue in the first and third editions of Doug Winters reference on Dahlonega Mint gold coinage.
