Owner Comments:
The 1850-O Gold Dollar is by far the rarest of all New Orleans Gold Dollars. Winter calls it "quite rare above MS62". A mere 14,000 were coined.
The present piece, which is in an older NGC holder, is tied with two others (PCGS) as the finest certified by either NGC or PCGS.
However, this coin is high end for the grade and likely an upgrade candidate, as the strike is sharp and the date is crisply defined. The luster is completely original with a strong cartwheel effect off its frosty surface. It has a beautiful orange-gold color with slight traces of copper spotting at the bottom of both the obverse and reverse.
As such, it is likely the Finest Known of this rare date, and thus a highlight of the Louisiana Purchase Gold Dollar denomination.
Clearly, only specialists can really appreciate this coin, as it was purchased in a major auction at a reasonable price. It was offered as part of the Morgan Collection of Branch Mint Gold and was added to that collection in 1995, before it came to be part of the Louisiana Purchase.