3632

1911 $20 PR68 NGC. Pop: (P 0/0, N 3/0). Mintage: 100. 1911[$20] PR68 NGC.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:5,500.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1911 $20 PR68 NGC. Pop: (P 0/0, N 3/0). Mintage: 100. 1911[$20] PR68 NGC.
<B>1911<$20> PR68 NGC.</B></I> Even though the official mintage for matte proofs of this year was 100 pieces, this figure is really not meaningful because so few coins are known today. Apparently the Mint produced, on speculation, small numbers of these largely unpopular, non-traditional proofs each year. The public was never as enthusiastic about matte proofs as Mint officials were and, as a result, few were ordered and even fewer survive today. Our best estimate places the number of survivors at 30-40 specimens in all grades.<BR> With the 1911 issue, the Mint returned to the matte proofing process which began in 1908, but was altered slightly in the following two years. This piece shows thousands of tiny sparkling facets under magnification and the basic mustard color is overlaid by a thin veneer of olive-green. The surfaces are flawless. This is a true museum-quality piece that appears totally without blemish. We could find no trace of contact on either side, there are no shiny spots, and only a tiny, inconsequential discoloration to the left of the olive branch can be used for identification.<BR> After heated competition the similarly certified Morse specimen from our November sale in Dallas, sold as lot 6596, realized an impressive $184,000. Census: 3 in 68, 0 finer (11/05).<BR><I>From The Phillip H. Morse Collection of Saint-Gaudens Coinage, Part Three.</B></I>