Lot 2800
1914 $2.50 Indian. PCGS graded MS-64. Lovely golden toning. A very choice coin for the grade. In a new secure plus holder. In Mint State, the 1914 is tends to be offered with a sharp strike. The present example thoroughly pleases in this regard, with all devices crisply defined from an visibly forceful impression. The color is mostly old-gold in shade, but we do note a somewhat reddish-gold sheen in certain areas. Free of the usual distractions, we see only a couple of marks by the lips and chin that possibly account for one point off of a gem grade. The 1914 is positioned second in rarity among the 15 Indian Quarter Eagle dates both in a relative sense as well in MS64 grade. It is a difficult issue to find, one that can be a real stumbling block to finishing a high-quality set. Pop 273; 47 finer, 44 in 65, 2 in 66, 1 in 67 (PCGS # 7946) .
1914 race to universal ownership: Henry Ford was the most notable of the many individuals who built early automobile manufacturing plants in America. He transformed the society into which he was born through his pioneering engineering and paternalistic management. Via assembly-line fabrication, Ford put what had up until then been a rich man's toy into the reach of the average working man. In 1909, the Ford Model T cost $950. By 1926, it cost only $290.
When Henry Ford announced in 1914 that he was raising the minimum pay at his plant to $5 a day (equal to two of these 1914 Indian Quarter Eagles) and inaugurating the 8-hour day, it was headline news. He could have hired workers for only $2 a day. He claimed that he was motivated to pay $5 by social justice. It was also an easy way to make the cars Ford workers produced affordable for them. Aided by Ford's business acumen, by 1920, 26 percent of households owned automobiles; by 1930, 60 percent did.
Estimated Value $8,500 - 9,000.
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| Realized $9,775 |
