Eisenhower in Acapulco: An American-Mexican Numismatic Memento
World War II period saw an increase in American influence in global affairs, with President
Dwight D. Eisenhower at the helm during his two terms in office. Having played a vital role in the allied victory in
Europe the decade prior, Eisenhower provided a steady hand in this era when technology brought together a world that had so recently been severely fractured. Further advancements in aviation made visiting other world leaders faster, easier, and more reliable; as a bit of trivia of the era, the call sign “
Air Force One” was first utilized at the beginning of Eisenhower’s presidency in 1953.
1787 Fugio from the
Newman 13-X dies. This is an easy die marriage to attribute; the obverse is heavily clashed in the right field and the reverse is the workhorse die X with a prominent crack from 6 o’clock on the rim. This lovely near-Gem example offers incredibly silky luster and steely-brown patina with hints of tangerine luster in the protected areas. The superior technical quality is matched by tremendous eye appeal.
Most Uncirculated Fugio coppers owe their preservation to a large cask of approximately 5,000 coins purchased by the
Bank of New York in 1788 and forgotten in the basement until the bank moved to a different location in 1856. The bank handed out the coins to preferred clients for many years and in 1948 the
Pre-Civil War Collector Coins in The Steve Studer Collection, Part 2
three-cent silver to
double eagles. All of the coins being offered have dates from the period 1838-1861, and the vast majority, including all of the silver coins, were struck in
New Orleans. A few gold coins from
Philadelphia and
San Francisco round out the offering.
1854-O quarter eagle is scarce in any Mint State grade, but it is decidedly rare in MS63, and a mere two pieces have been certified in higher grades, both by
PCGS. This example is tied with one other coin as the finest endorsed by
CAC. The strike is generally sharp, save for the virtually unavoidable softness on the eagle’s left (facing) leg. Reflective fields complement rich straw-gold color, and the absence of major abrasions compounds the eye appeal. New Orleans gold from this period is rarely found so fine.
Shield nickels are a largely underappreciated series among 19th-century U.S. coinage. They represent America’s inaugural attempt at a nickel five-cent coin, a format that remains a staple in daily commerce to the present day. First introduced in 1866 upon the conclusion of the Civil War, the Shield nickel was issued for just 17 years but produced a tremendous amount of fascinating and rare varieties.
We are thrilled to offer an incredibly rare
FS-304, Misplaced Date variety of the
1867 Rays nickel in our
March 2021 Showcase Auction. Graded VF-30 (NGC), it exhibits sharp definition and uniform dove-gray patina. Traces of the misplaced 1 digit are clear at the left side of the rounded tip of the shield. This variety was listed as unique in the 2015
The
1905 Liberty Head half eagle is an underrated 20th-century issue that is desirable at all levels of preservation. A mintage of only 302,200 makes it scarcer than many late-date issues, representing a steep drop from the 392,000
Philadelphia strikes of 1904. While readily available in lower Mint State grades, the 1905 is seldom encountered finer than MS-65 and
PCGS estimates just 55 distinct specimens survive in Gem and above.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries is thrilled to offer an incredible MS-68 (PCGS) example in our
March 2021 Showcase Auction that is the sole finest graded by that service. In addition, it ranks among the finest known Liberty Head half eagles, as it is one of only 10 graded MS-68 by PCGS with none finer for any Philadelphia Mint issue. Only three