3805

1895 S$1 PR65 NGC. Although the mintage of 1895 dollar

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:45,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1895 S$1 PR65 NGC. Although the mintage of 1895 dollar
<B>1895<img border='0' src='http://www.heritagecoins.com/images/star.gif' width=10 height=10>$1> PR65 NGC.</B></I> Although the mintage of 1895 dollars was recorded as 12,880--and a couple of generations of numismatists grew up thinking that 880 proofs were struck, along with 12,000 business strikes, and that maybe one day they would discover one of those coveted business strikes--later research would show that only proofs were struck, 880 to be exact. As recently as 1988, no less a numismatic luminary than Walter Breen would report in his <I>Complete Encyclopedia of United States and Colonial Coins</B></I> that 12,000 business strikes were minted--this despite the fact that not a single, solitary, genuine business strike had ever been authenticated.<BR> Bowers' incisive comments in his silver dollar <I>Guide Book</B></I> read, "In 1895, at the Philadelphia Mint, there was no coinage of silver dollars for circulation. Striking was limited to Proofs, of which only 880 were made. Early in 1896 when samples of the previous year's precious metal coinage were submitted to the Assay Commission for review, the dollar was represented by a single Proof."<BR> Although the proof 1895 Morgan dollar should by rights be collected only as part of a proof-only collection, it is not. Rather it has, by habit, been collected by so many generations of diehard Morgan dollar enthusiasts that it is firmly entrenched and collected alongside all of the "other" Morgan dollar business strikes--and all of those handy Morgan dollar albums with a (usually empty) hole for the 1895 facilitate that habit.<BR> The current Gem proof is delightfully toned on the obverse, with a translucent overlay of bluish-gray, merging at the rims into amber-gold. The translucent reverse toning offers more glints of electric blue. The word "translucent" is important in this context, because the light yet colorful toning allows considerable amounts of proof luster to radiate from beneath. Perusal with a loupe reveals a couple of light salmon-colored dots on the cheek not covered by deeper toning: one of these is a <BR><BR><B>Important notice:</B> Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tie eBay live bids. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 20% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid. This lot is being auctioned in conjunction with a live floor auction by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers, and all other information should be considered preliminary. Lot:3805 <BR><BR><B>Winning Notification and Billing:</B> After the FINAL session in this auction is complete, Heritage will send e-mail and snail mail invoices. This process normally takes several days. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers, and all other information should be considered preliminary. <BR><BR>This auction will be conducted on a live auction floor and over the Internet through eBay Live. If you choose to place an absentee bid, please take a moment to <font color='#0000ff'><u><a href='http://pages.ebay.com/liveauctions/help/before/laabsentee.html'>learn how eBay Live absentee bidding works</a></u></font><font color='#000000'>