Lot 2585
1837 Liberty Seated Dime. NGC graded Proof 67. Greer-102. NGC #1727945-029. No stars on the obverse. Well struck with nice old time toning including a lovely halo around Liberty. Tied for the finest known. The other Proof 67 example of this great rarity has not seen the light of day since it appeared in a Heritage sale back in 2003. This remarkably artistic No Stars design is by assistant engraver at the Philadelphia Mint, Christian Gobrecht. He'd been employed in the establishment for several years when the chief engraver, William Kneass suffered a stroke before completing a project to redesign the capped bust coinage. Kneass stepped aside to let Gobrecht provide new dies (based on sketches by artists Thomas Sully and Titian Peale). The design features Liberty seated on a rocky outcrop supporting a shield at her side with one hand while in the other she holds a pole surmounted by a liberty cap. It is thought that about 30 Proofs in all were struck of the new design in 1837, possibly more. A fair number have been certified by the two major services pointing to the fact that these, being a novel new design, were saved by early day collectors and visitors to the mint. Some Small Date 1837 dimes parade around as Proofs, but belief is that all valid 1837 Proofs are from the Large Date die. They have a diagnostic raised die line on the reverse from the rim above the first T in STATES, as well as a faint die scratch through the ES and O in STATES OF.
A hard to believe array of rich toning hues enhance the mirror-bright surfaces of this handsome Gem Proof dime. Taking stock of another key aspect of the grade, this piece has knife-edged devices throughout, including centers and shield, rather than a soft, uneven strike most associated with the business strikes. A stellar offering for the advanced collector! Pop 2; none finer @ NGC (PCGS # 4718) .
Estimated Value $100,000 - 120,000.
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| Realized $97,750 |
