The Survival Estimate represents an average of one or more experts' opinions as to how many examples survive of a particular coin in three categories: 1) all grades, 2) 60 or better, and 3) 65 or better. These estimates are based on a variety of sources, including population reports, auction appearances, and personal knowledge. Survival estimates include coins that are raw, certified by PCGS, and certified by other grading services.
Numismatic Rarity
Numismatic Rarity converts the Survival Estimate for a particular coin into a number from 1 to 10 (with decimal increments) based on the PCGS Rarity Scale. The higher the number, the more rare the coin.
Relative Rarity By Type
Relative Rarity By Type ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Type. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.
Relative Rarity By Series
Relative Rarity By Series ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Series. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.
P. Scott Rubin:
The 1858 Proof Eagle is an extremely rare coin with only four examples currently believed to exist and only three whose whereabouts are known. Two of the three are in museums, thus only one specimen is known in private hands today.
The history of the 1858 Proof Eagles started with the sale of gold Proof sets in Woodward’s October, 1860 sale (he calls it his second sale but it was actually his third sale and the final sale of that year. Lot 712 contained a complete gold Proof set of the year 1858). The next appearance of an 1858 Gold Proof set occurred in the Strobridge 1863 September Sale of the Seavey Collection. The question that is important to the census of 1858 Proof Eagles is whether Seavey purchased the coins from the 1860 Woodward Sale or from the Philadelphia Mint in 1858. The next important question is whether Seavey owned one or two 1858 Gold Proof sets. Was the set in the Strobridge 1873 catalogue a reappearance of the set offered in the 1863 Seavey sale? This seems possible but not known with certainty. The last sale of a complete 1858 Gold Proof Set was the June 1890 New York Coin Co.’s sale of the Parmelee collection. The set was sold in four lots -- lot 1292 contained the Eagle, Half Eagle and Quarter eagle, and sold for $21.75.
The next auction of an 1858 Proof Eagle is in S.H. Chapman’s June, 1909 Sale of the Jewett Collection where the coin realized $102.50 as lot 847. Walter Breen believes this is not the Parmelee coin but a different specimen. Is it the 1858 Proof Eagle form the 1860 Woodward Sale? Breen states that this coin went to Col. Green and has not been seen since.
In March, 1911 Thomas Elder sold the William Woodin collection which contained an 1858 Proof Eagle as lot 1223. Breen believes this is the Parmelee coin and it was bought by Virgil Brand in 1911 then to F.C.C. Boyd who sold it thru Numismatic Gallery’s January, 1946 sale (known as the World’s Greatest Collection) as lot 663, were it realized $3,750. It was purchased from that sale by Charles Green, who offered the coin as lot 530 in B. Max Mehl’s April, 1949 sale, where it sold for $4,250. This same coin was last offered by Stack’s as part of the Amon Carter Family Collection in January, 1984 as lot 759, where it sold for $121,000 and was purchased by David Akers.
The two museum collections which have 1858 Proof Eagles as part of complete Gold Proof Sets are The Smithsonian and the American Numismatic Society. The Smithsonian example is from the U.S. Mint Collection which obtained it in the year of issue. The coin in the American Numismatic Society Collection came from the Brock Collection. Researchers believe Brock obtained the coin directly from the Mint in 1858.
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