Lot 1313
1911 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded Matte Proof 66. As seems plain today but wasn't known until a few years ago, even though the official mintage for Proofs of this year is listed in the archives as 100 pieces, this is really a perplexing number because so few 1911 Proofs are known. The public was never as enthusiastic about Matte Proofs as mint officials were and, as a result, few were ordered and even fewer survive today. Estimates of survivors for this date range up to 35 separate pieces today in all grades.
Technically, this is a sandblast piece, but a Gem "Matte" Proof nevertheless, with strong fundamental supporting surfaces free of marks, devoid of spots, tops in its class, and for that matter, mesmerizing to gaze upon. Nicely struck, though not that it matters our saying so since all 1911 Proofs twenties were made with the utmost care under a strict quality control regime.
Proofs were struck at the Philadelphia Mint on the mint's hydraulic medal press to insure even flow into the die recesses, and a bold relief. America's sandblast Proofs (often referred to as "Matte" finish in numismatic circles) resulted from some experimentation in 1907 at the mint after it was discovered the earlier mirror-finish with frosted relief ensemble was impossible to achieve on Saint-Gaudens' new design. Owing to the peculiarity of the design of the Saint-Gaudens coins, the entire planchet is struck in such a way that the whole surface of the coin loses the brilliant, polished finish so much valued by collectors. The net result is that the coins left the dies with a bright or satiny appearance. The officials at the Mint decided that since they could not make brilliant Proofs, and wanted something distinctive for collectors, they would sandblast the finished coins.
With the 1911 issue, the mint returned to the heavy sandblast appearance of 1908. This piece shows thousands of tiny sparkling facets under magnification and the basic mustard color is overlaid by a thin veneer of olive-green. The surfaces are flawless. This is a true museum-quality piece that appears totally without blemish. We could find no trace of contact on either side, there are no shiny spots, we could not even find a lamination in the planchet. Pop 15; 4 in 67, 5 in 68 (PCGS # 9208) .
Estimated Value $70,000 - 75,000.
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| Realized $74,750 |
