1860-S $3 MS(PCGS#7981)

August 2023 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

5108

等级

AU58

价格

183,500

详细说明

Lovely Near-Mint State 1860-S $3 Gold 1860-S Three-Dollar Gold Piece. AU-58 (PCGS). Here is a dazzling semi-prooflike Choice About Uncirculated example of this key date rarity in the challenging San Francisco Mint three-dollar gold series. Modestly reflective fields support frosty devices that range from bold to full in striking detail. The color is a bold blend of deep olive and warmer orange-apricot shades. Wispy handling marks are singularly inconspicuous to the unaided eye, and are fewer than one would expect for a lightly circulated early San Francisco Mint gold coin. The 1860-S is one of the rarest circulation strike issues among the early varieties in the three-dollar gold series, as well as the rarest collectible San Francisco Mint issue. Walter Breen (Encyclopedia, 1988) noted that 2,592 of the 7,000 coins struck were found to be underweight and were melted, leaving a net mintage of just 4,408 coins. Virtually all circulated heavily and few if any were intentionally saved. Today the 1860-S is seldom seen in any grade, though the occasional well worn VF example surfaces. EF and AU pieces are rarities, and Mint State coins are so elusive as to be nearly unobtainable. In 1971, Don Taxay suggested that there were no Mint State examples of the date to be found; an up-to-date estimate would be just five to seven coins. In vivid and attractive AU-58 the offered coin is very rare in its own right and represents the finest realistically obtainable for this key date issue. Provenance: From Heritage's July 2013 Orlando Signature Auction, lot 3332. PCGS Population: 12; 8 finer (MS-64 finest). PCGS# 7981. NGC ID: 25MF. Click here for certification details from PCGS.