1879 Flowing Hair. Judd 1635. Brilliant Proof or a trifle finer. This coin's fields display richly gleaming mirror lustre, the reliefs are lightly frosted with a colorful touch of red-gold causing them to stand boldly forth. Careless handling in the distant past resulted in scattered hairlines.
The Stella was proposed by former Iowa Congressman John A. Kasson, who was impressed by the Austrian Gold coin with the dual denomination of 8 Florins-20 Francs, struck to facilitate commerce with the five countries of the Latin Monetary Union (LMU). The U.S. Half Eagle was larger and heavier than the standard LMU 20 Francs, and Kasson theorized that a new $4.00 might be roughly equivalent to that LMU coin.
''Stella'' is Latin for star and the Pattern coins presented a large reverse star with incuse denomination ONE STELLA - 400 CENTS. The Flowing Hair obverse by Charles E. Barber was distributed members of Congress while the Coiled Hair type by George T. Morgan was apparently reserved for Mint insiders. The Stella was never officially adopted but achieved vast popularity with coin collectors who sought examples as soon as they were known to exist. PCGS has certified only 17 1879 Flowing Hair Stellas in this specific grade. PCGS PR61.
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| Hammer Price: $100,000.00
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