Lot 2963
1885 Liberty Seated Half Dollar. NGC graded Proof 68. Lovely multicolor toning. 930 proofs minted. NGC #303829-009. A remarkable coin! Beautifully toned in pear, light purple, golden-brown, and powder-blue colors, this splendid Superb Gem is boldly struck and undisturbed by hairlines or any signs of handling. 1885 was part of the 1879 to 1890 run of very low mintage dates, which occurred while the mints were under orders not to strike any further quarter dollars or half dollars due to an excess in storage at the Treasury from earlier releases. Because the mint officials feared that "speculators" would buy up the low mintage Proofs for instant profits, there were struck in each of these 12 years token amounts of circulation-strike quality coins. Just sufficient, it was hoped, to discourage speculation. Of course, such low numbers today have the opposite effect: they encourage bidders to acquire sets of the aforementioned 1879 to 1890 dates. For the 1885 seated half, just under one thousand Proofs were struck, along with the token number of 5,200 business strikes. Pop 1; 1 in Proof 68 Star.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 18,000.
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| Realized $17,825 |
