Lot 1230
1911-D $2.50 Indian. PCGS graded MS-65. Well struck with a nice bold mint mark. The frosty mint surfaces exhibit natural golden honey mint color. Popular Key Date to the series. Only 55,680 struck. Intense but still satiny frost, the coin lightly toned as described through which golden radiance persists undiminished. Often, a soft impact was left by the recoil dies that struck this year and mint's coinage, with a weak "D" mintmark the result; but in a few instances like the present one, the opposite is the case and the coin has a very convincing impression.
No recognition is given in the Annual Report of the Secretary of the Treasury for 1912 (covering the 1911 coinage) for why so few 1911-D quarter eagles were made. The fact stands; history is mute. But what usually comes up in discussions among coin collectors is the coin's impressively low mintage and its unconditional rarity. Sometimes missed in the dialogue is its condition rarity (beyond the usual observation that the higher the Mint State rating the more taxing it becomes to locate one). As a Gem, purchase of a 1911-D not only entails a sizeable outlay, but a great deal of waiting and persistence as well. Pop 18; 3 in 66. (PCGS # 7943) .
Estimated Value $70,000 - 75,000.
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| Realized $74,750 |
