1053

[L#1053] 1913 $5 N PR67

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:36,000.00 USD Estimated At:60,000.00 - 80,000.00 USD
[L#1053] 1913 $5 N PR67
This boldly detailed representative is mostly medium-gold in color with sleek, bright metallic frosted features, the result of careful die preparation, and mid-way between the brownish hue of 1911 Matte Proofs and the often greenish look of a 1912 or 1914 specimen. As before, all devices were struck with razor-sharpness by the carefully prepared dies. Gold Proofs were handled with gloved hands by mint technicians. Unfortunately, once they were purchased, inevitable consequences of mishandling often ensued. Today, only a tiny proportion of the original 99 pieces made remain in tip-top condition like this. In NGC holder 952289-013.

Proofs of 1908-15 are much rarer than those of the preceding Liberty head design, rarer than their reported mintage suggest, in fact. According to supposition by Walter Breen in his encyclopedia of United States coins, "Doubtless heirs mistakenly spent some, and turned in others during the Great Recall of 1934. Reportedly, many of the [75P] of 1915, with some unsold 1914s, went to the Mint's melting pots in Jan. 1917. These proofs use several variants of the matte, sandblast, and satin finishes. The list herein is doubtless incomplete, but any authentic proof of an unlisted finish will be an extreme rarity." This is a genuine pristine example.