By Numismaster

Stack’s Sept. 18 auction of U.S. coinage features a top-grade 1838 quarter.

At that grade it is the finest certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corp., said sale catalogers. The piece was once part of the Jimmy Hayes collection sold by Stack’s in 1985 and is accompanied by a letter from Mr. Hayes to a later owner of the piece.

Another top-graded piece to be offered is an 1853-C gold $5, certified as MS-64 by Professional Coin Grading Service. Catalogers cite the PCGS population report of one 1853-C $5 seen in this condition and none finer.

An 1874 Trade dollar, PCGS MS-66 with only one other graded higher by PCGS, will attract specialists. Catalogers write, “What truly makes the present coin so special is the quality of the surfaces, with just a few microscopic nicks in the fields this is much, much finer than usually encountered.”