Lot 2191
1898. NGC graded Proof 65 Ultra Cameo. Only 67 proofs struck. A fully untoned gem. First and foremost, few other Proof 1898 tens has been awarded this grade by NGC, a distinction for this design Type, this piece stands securely within the Gem class, a favored position. That said, the coin also answers the call to quality, being implicitly miles ahead of "average quality" and, in some ways, many ways, approaches perfection. The portrait and eagle are well frosted, as are the stars, numerals, tops of the letters, etc., all against a reflective Proof field that has the familiar "orange peel" texture. Something we feel will be a hit among the foremost connoisseurs in the hobby, carefully considering many coins, but selecting relatively few, of which this will be one.
Some have asked us where the term "orange peel" arises. After the dies are hubbed and the date is applied, the die for Proofs is given multiple polishes with increasingly finer and finer polish. The last polish given to the dies prior to being hardened imparts a surface quite like a mirror. This is the deepest mirror attainable on the dies. When the die is hardened, the metal shrinks to some extent creating a wavy effect on the polished surface. It looks somewhat like the skin of an orange. When you see orange peel on a Proof issue you can be sure that it is one of the earliest examples struck from those dies. Later polishing to the already hardened dies will produce a flatter and shallower mirror. Pop 3; 16 finer (PCGS # 98838) .
Estimated Value $30,000 - 32,000.
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| Realized $33,350 |
