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[L#1010] 1887 $3 PCGS PR66

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:18,600.00 USD Estimated At:31,000.00 - 39,000.00 USD
[L#1010] 1887 $3 PCGS PR66
Three-dollar production at the Philadelphia mint fell to low levels in the 1880s, and by 1887, only a scant few thousand business strikes were minted -- which, for the most part, didn't circulate. Of the Proofs, only 160 pieces were made for sale to collectors. This is a gorgeous deep orange-gold beauty with surface integrity enough to warrant a cameo designation even though PCGS failed to notify us of the fact on this decade old (or older) grading holder. Every feature is fully defined. The eye appeal is nothing short of breathtaking! The coin now resides in PCGS holder affixed with number 6583865 but may well be resubmitted for re-evaluation in order to include the "cameo" or "deep cameo" to clarify its extraordinary condition.

The $3 gold piece was authorized by the Act of February 21, 1853, a key piece of legislation from a numismatic perspective, an act which also affected the silver coinage, namely the reduction in weight of the half dime, dime, quarter, and half dollar, and the addition of arrows alongside the date to indicate the new standard. Whether or not the $3 denomination was actually necessary or worthwhile has been a matter of debate among collectors for over a century. At the time of its introduction, 1854, the $3 had as a close companion -- the long established $2.50 quarter eagle.

It has been suggested that the $3 had utility in the purchase of 100-subject sheets of three-cent stamps, or the acquisition of silver three-cent pieces in quantities of 100. But who back then needed to buy 100 stamps at a time in an era where sending or receiving a letter wasn't common among the populace at large. In any event, the $3 proved to be less than convenient, and after the first year of coinage, production dropped sharply. In a way the same general pattern was followed by certain other series of the time, including the silver and nickel three-cent pieces and the two-cent piece. All were launched with high hopes, but the first several years proved to be the apex, followed by a slow decline.

The new $3 denomination was the work of James B. Longacre, who became chief engraver at the Mint in 1844, after the death of Christian Gobrecht. The obverse features the head of Liberty as an Indian princess, facing left, wearing a feathered headdress upon which is a band inscribed LIBERTY. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds. The same motif was later used on the Type III gold dollar 1856-1889.

The reverse displays an "agricultural wreath" enclosing 3 DOLLARS and the date. The reverse wreath was later used on the Flying Eagle cents of 1856-1858. As is demonstrated, Longacre liked to mimic his own work.

The $3 design was continued without major change from beginning to the end, except that issues of the year 1854 alone have the word DOLLARS in smaller letters than do the pieces from 1855 to 1889.