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News — Coin History

Who Was Titus? | Ancient Roman Coins

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

Who Was Titus? | Ancient Roman Coins
He was emperor during some very trying times including the cataclysmic eruption of Vesuvius, which buried half the towns of the Bay of Naples, including Pompeii in 79 AD and a fire in Rome in 80 AD. He was described as handsome, charming and generous. Titus once complained that he had lost a day because twenty-four hours passed without his bestowing a gift. He was, however, generous to a fault, which depleted the treasury. If he had ruled longer, he might have brought the empire to bankruptcy and lost his popularity. He died of illness in 81 A.D., succeeded by his brother Domitian.

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$5 Gold Eagle Collection: 1823 PCGS MS61

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

$5 Gold Eagle Collection: 1823 PCGS MS61
Initially, there were only 14,485 of these coins when they were originally minted. However, there are approximately only 100 or so survivors left in all grades combined. Despite the rarity of this date, it is relatively common when compared to other half eagles from the 1820s. In fact, it is the most available date between 1821 and 1829.

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$5 Gold Eagle Collection: 1798 $5 Draped Bust Large 8, 13 Star Reverse

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

$5 Gold Eagle Collection: 1798 $5 Draped Bust Large 8, 13 Star Reverse
This variety is known as the Large 8, 13 stars reverse. As you can see, the 8 appears larger than the rest of the numbers. If one looks at the reverse, they will find 13 stars, which is expected on these coins. However, there is also a 14-star variation. These stars were not meant to represent the states, as there were already 15 states at this time. Simply, the engraver added an additional star by accident when creating the die. So, with a mintage of 24,867, the Large 8, 13-star reverse is the more common variety. Typically, one sees this coin available in VF grades with uncirculated examples only being occasionally available.

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$5 Gold Eagle Collection: 1860-D Medium D Liberty Head Half Eagle

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

$5 Gold Eagle Collection: 1860-D Medium D Liberty Head Half Eagle
There are two varieties for this example, Large D and Medium D. The best way to differentiate is to see if the mint mark is wider or taller. If it is wider, than it is most likely a medium example. If it is the latter, then it is most likely a large example.

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$5 Gold Eagle Collection: 1844-D Liberty Head Half Eagle

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

$5 Gold Eagle Collection: 1844-D Liberty Head Half Eagle

      With a mintage of 88,982, the 1844-D is one of the most available Dahlonega half eagles struck during the 1840's. Compared to other obtainable dates, 1843-D & 1845-D, the 1844-D is the hardest to come by in high grades. In particular, NGC and PCGS have only graded 19 & 24 uncirculated examples, with the highest grade being an NGC MS64+.     The surface of many 1844-D $5 gold eagles have defects caused by the minting process. Some of these include stains, nicks in the planchet, and coarse areas. On the other hand, the strike of these coins are...

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