1879 $4 COILED HAIR STELLA GILT J-1639 PR63 NGC CAC

The 1879 $4 Coiled Hair Stella, Judd-1639, gilt copper Proof, stands as one of the most refined products of late-19th-century U.S. Mint experimentation, combining artistic ambition with extraordinary technical execution. Conceived within the Stella series, this issue features the George T. Morgan “Coiled Hair” design—an elegant, left-facing Liberty whose tightly braided and coiled hair, balanced facial proportions, and calm expression offer a deliberate classical counterpoint to the contemporary work of Charles E. Barber. Struck in copper and finished with a rich gilt coating to emulate gold, this example displays a cohesive golden-bronze base accented by warm orange-gold and amber highlights across the highest reliefs, while the recessed areas of both obverse and reverse deepen to reddish-gold and burnished chestnut tones that lend visual depth and maturity. Subtle olive-gold coloration along the rims and devices reflects gentle, long-term oxidation consistent with careful preservation. Under angled light, the proof surfaces transition from soft satin to semi-gloss, producing smooth, circular light diffusion rather than harsh reflectivity, with mirrorlike fields set against delicately textured reliefs. Liberty’s portrait remains crisply modeled with only the faintest suggestion of cabinet friction at the highest points, and the reverse star is fully articulated, its interior facets showing fine crystalline texture framed by sharply struck legends and uniform beaded borders. Historically, the Coiled Hair Stella is among the most elusive of all U.S. patterns, with approximately a dozen gilt copper examples believed extant, a fact documented in United States Patterns and Related Issues, which notes that nearly all known pieces were gilt at the Mint. With no recorded sales in PR63 and a single PR64 CAC example realizing $129,250 in August 2017, and an NGC population of just two graded with one finer, this specimen represents a pinnacle offering—an object where harmonious color, precision strike, and sculptural finesse converge, elevating the 1879 Coiled Hair Stella to the highest echelon of American numismatic art.