1907-O Barber Quarter. MS-67 (PCGS). CAC.
This is one of the most technically superior and aesthetically pleasing 1907-O quarters that we can ever recall handling. Both sides are vividly and originally toned, the obverse in champagne-apricot, salmon-pink and blue-gray iridescence, the reverse in blue-gray and silver-mauve. Thick mint frost enhances the pristine surfaces and the strike is essentially full, remarkably so for this challenging issue (see below). A delight to behold, and a strong contender for high Condition Census standing. The 1907-O is one of most popular New Orleans Mint type candidates in the Barber quarter series. On the other hand, this issue is notoriously difficult to locate in high quality Mint State preservation. As Q. David Bowers (2019) observes: David Lawrence noted that the 1907-O was 'the poorest struck coin in the series,' with some pieces having distortions, scars, and other problems....I second this. Does even one sharp coin exist? John Frost commented: 'The 1907-O is considered the poorest and most unusually struck coin in the series, versus the 1906-O which is the weakest strike, but without the oddities found on the 1907-O coins, such as mumps (distortions on neck and jaw), scars, etc.' Free of these striking anomalies with complete detail in all but a few isolated areas, this is the "sharp coin" that Bowers seeks. It is virtually perfect in every way, in fact, and sure to sell for a strong premium to an astute Barber quarter enthusiast.
PCGS# 5647. NGC ID: 23ZA.
PCGS Population: 4; 2 finer (both MS-67+). CAC Stickered Population: 5; 0.
From the Srotag Collection. Earlier from Heritage's sale of the Steven Duckor Collection of Barber Quarters, August 2009 Los Angeles Signature Auction, lot 1101; Heritage's FUN Signature Auction of January 2010, lot 933; RSD Collection; Legend Rare Coin Auctions' Regency Auction 30, January 2019, lot 148; Legend Rare Coin Auctions' Regency Auction 48, October 2021, lot 369; Legend Rare Coin Auctions' Regency Auction 51, April 2022, lot 133; Heritage's FUN Signature Auction of January 2023, lot 3165.