Lot 4405
1911-D $2.50 Indian. PCGS graded MS-64. Well struck with nice golden toning. A key date. The 1911-D Indian half eagle is the leading condition rarity among 20th century United States gold issues. Perhaps the 1914-S $5 gives the 1911-D a run for the money, but it cannot be denied that few of the 72,500 coins produced at Denver that year are extant in Mint condition. The certified attests as much. The Denver Mint prepared a single set of dies to produce this low total. Most are well struck with a sharp D mintmark (in contrast to the 1911-D $2.50 which often shows a weak mintmark).
The surfaces of this piece are predictably fresh with a delicate copper-gold patina that compliments the frosted luster. A few paper-thin hairlines crisscross the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the reverse, but otherwise there are no blemishes, no spots, but instead everything positive to speak about on this beautifully preserved example. It goes without saying that the coin affords an important prospect for the Indian Head gold connoisseur who demands only the choicest quality coins. Pop 282; 20 finer, 17 in 65, 3 in 66 (PCGS # 7943) .
Historical note: The obverse portrays Brule Lakota Chief Hollow Horn Bear, who had taken part in Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade, March 4, 1905. The Chief died two years after this 1911 specimen was minted. He is often misidentified as the model for the 1899 $5 Silver Certificates. His true identity as Boston sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt's model for the 1908 quarter eagles and half eagles first came to light in an exhibit in the 1988 ANA Convention.
Estimated Value $25,000 - 26,000.
Ohringer Family Trust Holdings.
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