Lot 1784
1876. PCGS graded Proof 55. Only 45 minted. Popular key date. Nice golden toning on both sides. The Proof-only 1876 $3 gold piece is made famous by its low mintage and similarly low survival, once believed as few as 25 to 30 were extant. It is in the good company of several other extremely rare Proof issues in the $3 series including those of 1861, 1874, and 1878, but with the proviso that the others are not Proof-only dates.
The Garrett-Guth Encyclopedia researchers found that the 1876 $3 Proofs were struck on two occasions, once in February, totaling 20 coins, and again in June, when another 25 coins were produced. An unknown number of pieces were also struck at a later date from a different obverse die. It seems one can never really a handle on the numbers, or with speculation about this historic issue. It goes without question that the 1876 is an tried-and-true rarity, that much is certain. And it is a date that any collector of the series will need, well and good. This particular coin has pleasing gold surfaces and some remaining "depth" of reflectivity in the fields. Someone likely spent it. Someone else, noticing its sparkle and golden allure, possibly in a bank’s coin tray, hauled it back out and stashed it for himself or his heirs. By way of contrast, the devices are still frosted against the reasonably proof-mirrored fields. Pop 3; 29 finer (PCGS # 8040) .
Estimated Value $25,000 - 30,000.
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