8912

1912 $10 PR66 NGC. Only 83 proof Ten Indians were

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1912 $10  PR66 NGC. Only 83 proof Ten Indians were
<B>1912 $10 PR66 NGC.</B></I> Only 83 proof Ten Indians were struck, and the 1912 stands as the premier rarity among the eight years of matte proofs that were struck, 1908 to 1916. David Akers (1980) perhaps summed up the importance of this issue best when he wrote: "Proofs of this date are extremely rare, and in my opinion, are the rarest of the Indian Head type. The mintage would not indicate this but either the proofs of this year suffered an unusually high attrition rate for some reason, or most of the mintage were melted because the 1912 appears less often in proof than any other Indian Head. I doubt if more than 15-20 can be accounted for today, and only one has appeared at auction in over 25 years." We believe the number of survivors to be somewhat higher, but still a very modest 20-25 pieces.<BR> Struck with the fine sandblast finish of the 1908 and 1911-15 proofs, this piece is somewhat deep in color with some mustard patina overall. Under magnification the matte finish shows innumerable sparkling facets from the random dispersal of light across the sandblast surfaces. As one would expect from a coin of this grade, there are no mentionable contact marks. The only ripple in the fabric of this lovely proof that could serve as an identifier for future pedigree purposes is a small pinpoint planchet imperfection at 3 o'clock near the reverse rim. With so few coins known today, it is not too surprising that this piece is one of the finest known. Obviously, a very rare and important offering of this key date matte proof Ten. Population: 5 in 66, 4 finer (1/05). Lot:8912