5146

1895-O 10C MS66 PCGS. Aside from the celebrated 1894-S

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:13,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1895-O 10C MS66 PCGS. Aside from the celebrated 1894-S
<B>1895-O<10C> MS66 PCGS.</B></I> Aside from the celebrated 1894-S, the 1895-O Barber dime is <I>the</B></I> key issue--always coveted, always in demand, and seldom available--by the nation's Barber dime collectors, in grades ranging from Fair-2 to the Premium Gem MS66 grade of the present piece, <I>one of the four highest at either service.</B></I> Again aside from the 1894-S, there were precisely 13 Barber dime issues with mintages of less than 1 million coins each. For the most part, they form themselves into logical, if not always explainable, groups: the San Francisco issues of 1892, 1896, 1901, 1903 and 1904, 1913, and 1915; the New Orleans issues of 1894 through 1897; the Philadelphia issue of 1895, the sole P-mint; and the often-forgotten and overlooked 1909-D, the only D-mint issue with a mintage under 1 million. Of these, the 1895-O is the most desirable, for several important and interlinked reasons. It has the lowest mintage, at 440,000 pieces. It was early in the series, yet not so early that many specimens were kept as souvenirs of a new design. And it is possible that some low-grade specimens, possibly more than a few, were unrecognized for their rarity and melted in the great silver melts of the early 1980s.<BR> It is this cataloger's firm belief that Barber dimes are one of the most ignored and underrated areas of the current market, and this stunning Premium Gem key date rests firmly atop the heap in terms of desirability. The iridescent toning on each side is predominantly bluish-green, with splashes of lilac, amber, and indigo. The full strike has brought up each individual kernel of corn or wheat and individuated the veins in the leaves. The hairline is completely distinct from the forehead, and the headband containing LIBERTY is separated at top and bottom. A tick below the E, and another above the eyebrow, are the only mentionable, yet undistracting, ticks on this