Catalog Number: 7128

Serial Number:  24905568

Grade: Mint State 64

VAM: 1H - Die Gouges Inner Wing #2

VSS Number: 008931

Comments:  Through all the toning there is a coin with few if any bag marks, and thus a Mint State 64 coin.

When we think about the New Orleans Mint we think heat, humidity, rain, and occasional hurricanes.  In our minds this coin looks like one that would have been buried in a mint vault where it was exposed to some sulfur, but mainly to humidity in various forms.

There is a tendency to think the dark overall surface of the coin indicates a deeply toned coin, but we believe this one is the opposite.  On examination the dominant colors are russet, burgundy, cobalt blue, and cyan.  That places the coin in the first and early second stages of coloration.

But the toning in interesting and speculation as to the source might be the most interesting topic.  We also believe a good bit of the dark coloration is a result of exposure to moisture, thus muting much of the luminosity of the other colors.