Lot 1830
1883 Hawaiian Quarter Dollar. PCGS graded Proof 62 Cameo CAC Approved. In a new secure plus holder. Pop 2; 2 finer, 1 in 63, 1 in 65. Fully untoned with a tiny obverse scratch near the chin. A worthwhile Proof by any standard, the mirror reflection is not in the least disturbed by harsh toning or yielding to spots or other deterioration, while silvery colors blossom on both sides. The strike is confident, this being a typically well-made Proof of the period struck on the Philadelphia Mint’s most modern equipment; indeed, as bold as ever seen on virtually any coin of this period, Hawaiian or American. 1883 Hawaiian quarters in Proof format are rare, with very few in existence today. Only 26 were made. (PCGS #810989).
Associated with every coin ever issued is a story. Sometimes the story is lost or forgotten, but fortunately, the history of Hawaiian coins, the Proofs as well as the circulation strikes, is clearly recorded. Much of the documentary evidence lies in the Hawaii State Archives in Honolulu, a nondescript building lying under a large banyan tree behind Iolani Royal Palace. Tens of thousands of tourists visit Iolani Palace every year, but how many realize the Real History of Hawaii lies just a few steps away across the parking lot in that plain one-story building! At the time the Hawaiian silver was being proposed and struck, there was a controversy brewing. The King's silver directed attention to the coinage and currency problems of the Kingdom. One important result was the Gold Law of 1884, signed on July 17 (even before the silver coins arrived in the islands for distribution). Claus Spreckles, as agent for the government to the U.S. Mint, and the Kalakaua government itself, at first opposed this new law. The conservative businessmen of the community, including the Chamber of Commerce and those who opposed the coinage, supported it. According to Adler, "Essentially the argument was one of easy money versus hard money. The cry of the supporters of the gold law was: "Gold is the only currency." -- If this sounds familiar to numismatic historians reading this it is becasue the same controversy was taking place at the highest levels in the United States at the time.
Estimated Value $12,000 - 14,000.
The Forsythe Collection.
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| Realized $9,775 |
