By Doug Winter - CoinLink Content Partner - www.raregoldcoins.com

One of the most ambitious collecting projects ever undertaken was the No Motto half eagle set assembled by Chicago dealer Ed Milas. Not only did Mr. Milas attempt to assemble a complete set of these rare coins (struck between 1839 and 1866) but he did it, for the most part, in the highest grade possible. After working on this set for the better part of two decades, Milas sold his coins at auction through Stack’s in May, 1995.

The Milas set included 98 coins and was lacking only the 1842-C Small Date, 1854-S, 1863 and 1864-S to be totally complete. The coins ranged in grade from mid-AU to MS66 and included a host of individual pieces that were either Finest Known or high in the Condition Census for that specific issue. I would still rate this as one of the single greatest specialized U.S gold collections ever formed and it was one of the most interesting auctions that I ever attended.

I had seen a number of Ed’s coins on a piece-meal basis and had even sold him a few high-end Charlotte and Dahlonega coins indirectly. But it was with real excitement that I went to New York to view a collection that had attained true cult status among rare gold coin collectors and dealers alike.

I remember being very surprised to see that the Milas Collection had been sent to NGC to be graded. Stack’s, in the mid-1990’s seemed to sell far fewer encapsulated coins than their competitors and my initial reaction on viewing the coins in their holders was that NGC had gotten a little bit carried away in grading them. Of course today, these same coins in the same 1995 holders would seem almost quaintly undergraded. (more…)

Assistant Mint Engraver Anthony C. Paquet was born on December 5, 1814 in Hamburg, Germany and emigrated to the United States in October 1848. The cataloger for Sotheby’s and Stack’s said that “he is believed to be the son of one Tuissaint Francois Paquet.” Paquet worked in Philadelphia and New York from 1850 to 1857, before joining the Mint staff on October 20, 1857.

The nature of his earliest work in America is unknown. He remained in the Mint’s service until 1864 and did additional contract work before and after his period of employment. He continued living in Philadelphia until his death in 1882. Paquet is most famous for the 1861 double eagles that are named for him. He also prepared a design modification for the 1859 half dime. While at the Mint, Paquet created several patterns in addition to the 1861 double eagles that he is most famous for, although most of his work was engraving dies for numerous Mint medals. He prepared the dies for the first Congressional Medal of Honor as well as Indian Peace medals for Presidents Johnson and Grant. (more…)