1881 P5C Hawaii MS(PCGS#10975)

1881 P5C Hawaii MS (PCGS#10975)

The June 2010 Baltimore Auction

详细说明: 1881 Hawaii Pattern Five Cents. Medcalf-Russell 2CN-1. MS-64 (PCGS). Secure Holder. The obverse exhibits a left-facing head of King Kalakaua with the legend KALAKAUA KING OF SANDWICH ISLANDS around the periphery and the date 1881 below. The reverse design depicts a garter surmounted by the Hawaiian crown and enclosing the denomination 5. A small cross is present in the denticles at the top of the crown. Struck in nickel with a plain edge.<br /> In 1881, during the first world tour undertaken by a sitting monarch, King Kalakaua of Hawaii was contacted by the owner of a nickel mine in New Caledonia in the Southwest Pacific. The mine owner offered to have nickel coins struck for the Kingdom of Hawaii, and to test the merits of such an idea approximately 200 patterns were prepared in the Five Cent denomination. No regular issue coins were ever made, however, leaving the patterns as the only survivors of this proposed project. With most such pieces having been lost or impaired through use as jewelry, high-grade, high-quality examples are of the utmost rarity and desirability in the numismatic market of the 21st century. This is just such a coin, both sides satiny, smooth and nearly in the full Gem category. A bold-to-sharp strike and even silver-gray color are also praiseworthy attributes for this important Hawaiiana rarity. The first example of the type that this cataloger can ever recall handling!