1879 $4 Flowing Hair Stella NGC PR63

This is the "Stella"--the Rolls Royce of gold coins, the crème de la crème of U.S. gold numismatic art. The discerning numismatist with available resources now has the chance to include this specimen among his or her treasures.

This iconic issue has long been counted as the key to a type collection of United States gold. This is due to its being included in the Red Book for generations. Struck upon a golden canvas, the 1879 "Stella" is the most legendary of all gold pattern coins. It derives its distinctive name from the five-pointed star on the reverse.

Designed by U.S. Mint Engraver Charles E. Barber, this specimen of the 1879 "Stella" is one of only around 425 struck. They were given to members of Congress and afterward collectors from late 1879 through the early part of 1880. This is unquestionably Barber's tour de force. NGC has graded 22 in Proof 63 with 66 finer.   

 John A. Kasson, whose brainchild was the magnificent Stella coin.

These stunningly beautiful coins were the brainchild of John A. Kasson, U.S. envoy and minister plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary. He had previously served as the chair of the Committee of Coinage, Weights, and Measures in Congress. This was another of many failed schemes to create an international coinage. The valuation of different world monetary units differed from each other, typically during a short span of time. However, Kasson had the inspiration that a U.S. $4 coin would be around the same value as the Austrian 8 florins, French 20 francs, Italian 20 lire, Spanish 20 pesetas, and Dutch 8 florins. The Judd book, United States Pattern Coins, tells us, "The entire idea was absurd at the start, as approximate values would never satisfy the needs of commerce, and such pieces would eventually be valued on their gold content and would not come out in even units of foreign currency." Thus the "Stella" was never produced for mass distribution and circulation. However, the nation's loss is the discriminating collector's gain.