NGC Certifies Rare Trade Dollar Variety

Listed by Walter Breen in his encyclopedia as B-5805 and in The Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties as FS-014, this is the most spectacular of several doubled-die varieties known for the trade dollar series. It features a widely separated secondary image of the olive branch grasped by the eagle and is readily discernible to the naked eye.

A number of examples have been certified in circulated grades, but mint state pieces are exceedingly rare. This attractive specimen has very nice surfaces and is free of significant marks. Both sides display pale, straw-colored toning.

NGC's Research Director David W. Lange was quite impressed with this coin. "It's a very early state of the dies. All details are bold and quite distinct. We see this variety only occasionally, and it's rare to see one this sharp and pristine."

NGC recognizes all varieties listed in The Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties by Bill Fivaz and J. T. Stanton. Uncertified coins, or coins certified by other grading services, may be submitted to NGC for grading and variety attribution. The fee for variety attribution is $7, in addition to the grading tier fee. Coins already certified by NGC may be resubmitted for variety attribution under its Designation Review service for a fee of $10, which includes the cost of reholdering.