Lot 2349
1876 $3 Gold. NGC graded Proof 64 Cameo. NGC holder 1635016-001. A nice untoned Proof. Three tiny marks on the reverse. 45 Proofs struck. The Proof-only standing of the 1876 $3 gold piece has increased its eminence over the years, a distinction it clearly deserves, and its well documented rarity in higher grades is assured by a mintage of so few pieces. Struck from a single set of Proof dies, there were two separate deliveries made during the year. The earliest group of coins, numbering 20 pieces, was made on February 19. The dies were then stored until a further 25 coins were struck June 13. The collector must allow for duplication in arriving at the number of surviving 1876 threes, but even so it seems that as few as 25-30 pieces are left in collectors' hands today. The population of unimpaired examples, conversely, is lower, with as many as a dozen specimens having been negligently cleaned or even used as pocket pieces.
This high quality Choice Cameo Proof 64 beauty displays beautiful contrast between the raised devices and reflective field. There is a customary "halo" effect in intervals around the head of Liberty, the result of slight granularity in the fields. The color is a bright gold with a brilliant, almost wicked levels of glitter and flash. In short, an exemplary example of this important $3 gold rarity. Pop 14; 7 finer; 6 in 65; 1 in 66. (PCGS # 8040) .
Estimated Value $50,000 - 60,000.
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| Realized $55,200 |
