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Lot 149 - 1866 Shield Nickel PCGS PR66 Rays

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:3,250.00 USD Estimated At:6,500.00 - 7,500.00 USD
Lot 149 - 1866 Shield Nickel PCGS PR66 Rays
1866 Shield Nickel. At the high end of the grading census, few finer, and with just a few peers, this attractive Premium Quality shield nickel is sure to satisfy even the most particular Shield nickel buyer. Both obverse and reverse display rolling mirror surfaces, super gorgeous gold and blue color, are boldly struck, and have infinite eye-appeal. A nicer Proof 66 '66 Rays would be difficult to envision!

Shield nickels introduced in the summer of 1866, by which time many had already bought Proof sets and Proof singles (but not of this denomination). The Mint announced that it would sell Proofs singly for 10¢ each, and over a period of time several hundred orders were shipped, but fewer than would have been ordered had they been sold in January. Today the 1866 Proof shield nickel is important for its status as the first year of the denomination and also as the only affordable Proof issue of this short-lived with-rays style. (#3817)