8712

1908 $5 PR67 NGC. Soon after Augustus Saint-Gauden

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1908 $5  PR67 NGC. Soon after Augustus Saint-Gauden
<B>1908 $5 PR67 NGC.</B></I> Soon after Augustus Saint-Gaudens redesigned the eagle and double eagle in 1907, Bela Lyon Pratt was chosen to prepare new designs for the two smaller denomination gold coins. His unique design was a first in American coinage history. While the actual design itself is raised, as on other coins, the entire design was sunken below the surfaces of the surrounding fields, thus it is often called an "incuse" design, which is partially correct. This unusual design gave an entirely different look to the coinage, and it served other functions as well. For business strikes, wear patterns were different with the fields offering protection to the high points of the design. It also provided a different pattern of metal flow during the striking process. Proof examples of this design, as with all gold coins of this era, were struck in different experimental finishes.<BR> The 1908 half eagle Proofs, of which perhaps 100 or so were distributed, have a light to dark matte finish. Walter Breen claimed that these coins have a dark matte finish, although this example is lighter yellow in color. The original mintage of these coins is generally considered to be 167 coins, per the listing in the <I>Guide Book</B></I> and other sources, although a 1936 publication by Charles Green suggests that a number of these were melted in early 1909 after remaining on hand in the Mint "Inventory" of proof gold coinage. The resulting "net" mintage or quantity distributed was less than 100 coins, according to this source.<BR> This example is one of three different PR67 examples that we have offered over the last dozen years, and it represents the fifth time that one of the three has been offered by us. The surfaces are exquisite with smooth light to medium yellow color and a matte or sandblast finish, limiting the intensity of the luster. As expected, every design element is bold and crisp. A couple tiny surface marks are noted, but there do not appear to be any actual grazes in the surfaces of either side. A short, microscopic black line is located in the reverse field above the middle of the wing. This is the only individual characteristic that we can find to provide for tracing of the pedigree. NGC has only certified one finer example of this issue. Population: 8 in 67, 1 finer (1/05). Lot:8712