Lot 1248
1880 $3 Gold. PCGS graded MS-65. Rich golden toning. Reflective fields. The 1880 $3 has one of the lowest mintage figures in the series: 1,000 struck. This is a dazzling gold specimen burning-gold mint bloom with a lovely reddish patina, powerfully struck and preserved by its former owners with loving care. A blunt impression is sometimes left by the recoil of the dies that struck this design's coinage; just the same, we can report that this 1880 specimen, unlike most others, is outstanding in its detail and crispness. Pop 14; 5 finer. (PCGS # 8002) .
With a low mintage of 1,000 coins, the 1880 has always attracted a great deal of attention. Few things in numismatics are more alluring than a small number posted for the number produced. However in the present instance, with the same philosophy being true through the end of the series, higher numbers of $3 gold pieces were saved, relatively, than for the low-mintage coins of the 1860s and early 1870s due to an off-the-radar screen speculative boom in that period.
Estimated Value $20,000 - 22,000.
The Mark Gordon Collection.
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| Realized $19,550 |
