Lot 1132
1884. PCGS graded Proof 65 Red. Medium mirrors with good eye appeal. Small speck by the D in UNITED. Housed in an Old Green Holder. Only 3,942. Pop 49; 41 finer, 31 in 66, 10 in 67. (PCGS # 2341)
U.S. Proof coins were prized by the earliest American collectors and interest in them was high throughout the 19th century, particularly in the latter half. The purchasing power of money was higher than at the present and incomes lower on a relative basis. After Proofs were offered to the general public in 1858, well-to-do collectors sought Proofs of the silver coins, and a few collectors of outstanding wealth such as the Garretts of Baltimore sought Proof gold.
From the mid-1860s onward, the Philadelphia Mint offered collectors on more limited budgets Proof sets of the minor coins only, such as the Small Cent, 2 Cents, Nickel 3 Cents and 5 Cents. These sets were popular among the few hundred collectors then active, but well-preserved minor Proofs are every bit as scarce as top-condition specimens of the silver and gold, and with them form an important part of the American numismatic record. Estimated Value $750 - 850
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| Realized $805 |
