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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Robert Brian Crim, post: 2271631, member: 76253&quot;]Unique coins by definition are rarest, provided one does not count coins for which there are mintage figures but no known specimens.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pray tell:&nbsp; how is the universe restricted?&nbsp; The 1849 double eagle technically is a pattern, so it is no rarer than any of the coins in the gold 1872 Amazonian set.&nbsp; There are two half units in the Smithsonian, and each is different from the other in obvious ways.&nbsp; Does that make them &quot;rarest&quot; or just &quot;biggest&quot;?</p><p><br /></p><p>As far as we know, the 1870S $3 gold, the 1870S half dime, the 1873CC dime, the 1785 Immune Columbia doubloon (ex Stickney) and 1787 New York Brasher half doubloon are unique and meant that not even Eliasburg ever could claim to have collected one of everything (Stickney traded the Immune Columbia piece for an 1804 dollar, and the Mint has had it ever since).&nbsp; But, the 1822 half eagle is R8 (3 known), and the 1825 over full 4 half eagle has 2 surviving specimens.&nbsp; The 1866 proof set (no motto) is unique (at least for the half and quarter), and on the list of &quot;Whoa Daddies&quot; are the 1841O half eagle and the 1873S seated dollar.&nbsp; A couple unique coins were stolen from the Mint Cabinet in 1858 and never recovered -- we know they exist but have no idea where they are, and since they&#039;d probably land a possessor in jail, it&#039;s not likely they ever will surface.</p><p><br /></p><p>There remain two great collections, undispersed, in Connecticut, one owned by the State and one owned by Yale.&nbsp; It is likely that each possesses at least one or two coins which are unique.</p><p><br /></p><p>I would not be surprised to learn that Harvard has a large collection also, though I&#039;ve never seen it.&nbsp; And, this only scratches the surface since &quot;rarity&quot; well may be relative (yes, there are three known 1822s, but only one of them is not impounded).</p><p><br /></p><p>Is &quot;ability to obtain&quot; part of our universe?&nbsp; The 1849 double eagle is unobtainable, but all of the 1872 Amazons are out there.&nbsp; Wilkison once had all of them except for the $3 gold piece.&nbsp; That&#039;s 5 of 6 unique coins in a set!</p><p><br /></p><p>I should think that counts for something.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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