Lot 4021
1865 Liberty Seated Dollar. NGC graded Proof 68. NGC serial #1948078-005. Wonderful rainbow toning. Perhaps the finest known. One can spend a lifetime searching and not encounter a more beautiful, unashamedly original Proof seated Liberty dollar of any date than this Magnificent 1865 No Motto specimen. Both sides are layered in antique-copper, salmon-pink, apricot and powder-blue iridescence that provides awe-inspiring eye appeal. There is a spotlight of white silvery radiance that glows from the shield at Liberty's side. The surfaces are free of even a single distracting contact mark, and a silky smooth sheen is easily readily apparent at all angles. Furthermore, one can discern bold field-to-device contrast despite the depth and beautiful saturation of the original toning. Fully struck throughout, this exquisite razor-sharp Proof would make a lovely addition to a final-year type set or an advanced portfolio of numismatic rarities.
The Mint struck 500 Proof silver dollars in this, the final year of the No Motto seated Liberty dollar series. All of these coins were distributed with the year's silver Proof sets, but many seem to have fallen victim to the vagaries of troubled times that cast a pall over civilization in the United States at the end of the Civil War. A fair number of examples were mishandled at one time or another, and locating an unimpeachable, stellar-quality representative in today's market is anything but easy. When encountered, such pieces command significant premiums not only because of their own status as condition rarities, but also due to the elusiveness of the business strike 1865 seated dollar in all grades.
The Proof No Motto seated Liberty dollar series is one of the most difficult to collect in all of U.S. numismatics. From the series' inception in 1840 through 1858, the Mint did not record the number of Proof coins struck each year. It is likely that very few examples were produced, particularly when one considers that there were scarcely any numismatists active in the country during the 1840s and 1850s. Although mintage figures increased beginning in 1859, collector demand remained low-key and many of the Proofs struck from 1859 through 1865 may have been and probably were melted as unsold at year's end. The onrush of the Civil War in April 1861 resulted in considerable disorder and confusion in the Mint, and reduced the already limited number of collectors which further contributed to the rarity of Proof No Motto dollars in today's market. Pop 1; None finer at NGC. (PCGS # 7008) .
Estimated Value $100,000 - 115,000.
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