1836 Classic Head Quarter Eagle
The obverse head is that of 1837, believed to have been engraved by Christian Gobrecht after Chief Engraver's Kneass's stroke in 1835. All seen have striking softness on the upper curls of Liberty above her eye. Of the handful known in Proof, it is interesting that different dies and head punch styles were used to create these prized rarities. Perhaps ten are known of the various 1836 dated dies with heads of 1835, 1836 and 1837 known in Proof, each represented by three or four coins at most. One is known in the Smithsonian, the balance held in the most famous collections in American history.
The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the March 2012 Baltimore Auction, where it realized $287,500.