LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 Jan. FUN Signature Coin Auction #454  / 

3120

1858 $3--Altered Surface--NCS. Proof

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:11,500.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1858 $3--Altered Surface--NCS. Proof
<B>1858 $3 --Altered Surface--NCS. Proof.</B></I> In 1858, the U.S. Mint began publicly advertising proof sets for public sale under Mint Director James Ross Snowden. While exact survival rates from the tiny mintage are unknown, Garrett and Guth (2006) suggest a current population of "as many as 10 to 12" pieces, though they also caution that "many are locked up in institutional or private collections, so they rarely appear on the market."<BR> To the unaided eye, this specimen appears spectacular, with frosty devices and glassy mirrored fields. A strong lens reveals delicate tooling of the reverse field near the prominent 3, as well as some alteration near the rim between 11 and 5 o'clock. The obverse field is substantially more reflective than the obverse, which may suggest further alteration. Still, the decisively struck devices leave no doubt as to this coin's proof status, and as such, it remains a desirable exemplar.<BR><BR><B>Coin Engraver:</B> James B. Longacre<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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