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Sale 69
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Lot 1809
1881 Hawaiian Pattern Five Cents. PCGS graded MS-66 CAC Approved. In a new secure plus holder. Pop 2; none finer at PCGS. Nice light even toning. Tied for the finest known. Intense but still satiny frost, the coin lightly toned to a quiet soft golden color through which nickel-gray luminosity persists almost undiminished. Something perhaps worth adding to the smooth finish is how desirable this coin is with this precision strike at Kalakaua’s profile as well as throughout the unusual reverse which portrays a royal garter of the Kingdom inscribed AU MAU KE EA O KA AINA I KA PONO. A small cross attached to the crown distinguishes this from the later-made, unofficial strikes. All patterns by this minter are on a thin nickel planchet. No Proofs recorded.
Donald Medcalf offers a succinct description of this coin’s issue: "In 1881 King Kalakaua made an historic trip around the world while his new palace was being built. He was the first world Monarch to have journeyed the globe. During his travels, the owner of a New Caledonia nickel mine was able to contact the king and offered to have nickel coins struck for the Kingdom of Hawaii. Approximately 200 nickel patterns with the king’s effigy on the obverse were minted in Paris and sent to the king after he had returned to Hawaii. No proofs were ever struck, and the coin was never officially adopted. Many of the coins became "pocket pieces" or were fashioned into jewelry."
Also of note, but we are unable to discern the presence of this due to the PCGS holder’s restraining collar, "Some edge-marked in incuse with indistinct imprint: "MAILLECHORT," explains the same author. [Note: French for nickel silver from the names of two Lyon craftsmen who invented it Maill(ot) and Chor(ier). A hard, corrosion-resistant alloy of copper, zinc and nickel used to make domestic silverware. Also known as German silver.] (PCGS # 10975) .
Estimated Value $30,000 - 35,000.
The Forsythe Collection.
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| Realized $41,400 |
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