1911 $5 PR (PCGS#8542)
August 2011 Chicago ANA - Rarities Night
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 7699
- 等级
- PR66
- 价格
- 293,835
- 详细说明
- 1911 Indian Half Eagle. Proof-66 (PCGS). CAC. Throughout this time period the Philadelphia Mint was preparing different types of finishes for the proof coins each year: light sand-blast, dark sand-blast, and Roman finish (no sand-blast). The truth is, all proof half eagles of this type, when first struck, were of the Roman gold finish which has a satiny and lustrous appearance. Then, excepting in 1909 and 1910, the struck coins were subjected to varying amounts of sand-blasting to pepper the surface with this diamond-faceted appearance. Breen's description of the finish for the 1911 issue was: "Matte finish, dull and darker than uncirculated., nearest to 1908 but differing minutely in texture of grain." The mintage for the 1911 half eagle in proof was limited to the few coins which collectors would buy, 139 pieces. Today, Gem proofs of the 66 caliber are few and far between. <br /> This is a true connoisseur's piece, a splendid Gem matte proof, deep olive-tan in color. This example is extremely sharp, as are virtually all matte proof gold half eagles. The surfaces have the typical grainy appearance with myriad tiny bright diamond-like sparkles when held under a light. This coin is pretty much "as struck," the surfaces free of most any blemishes or spotting. This Indian half eagle has an interesting history as the portrait is of a real person, not one imagined by the artist. Along with quarter eagles, the gold proofs of 1908 to 1915 were all struck in the matte or sandblast finish using the, until-then, novel "recessed relief" format, the first occurrence of this feature on an American coin.<br /> <br /> <strong>Numismatic Reflections by Q. David Bowers<br /> </strong>Matte proof coins were in numismatic disfavor at the time and remained so for many years. That changed dramatically in the late 20th century when collectors woke up to the fact that all proofs of the 1908-1915 era were rare, and some of them wer
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