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Sale 67
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Lot 2024
1925-S. NGC graded MS-65. A sparkling untoned gem whose luster uncurls and spreads across the surface in effortless profusion.There is great similarity in the 1924-S and 1925-S Saints; both have had rarity rankings realigned since the mid-20th century after the emergence of a few small supplies turned up overseas. While both are popular with advanced collectors in this series, the edge in high grades clearly goes to the 1925-S. We have not offered many Gems in our auctions, for obvious reasons since Gems are few and far between. This handsome specimen is typically well impressed for the issue, the devices risen intrepidly and with all due prominence above the fields, including solid reference definition at Liberty's face, her knee, the toes, the gown folds; sliding next to the reverse, we see strong detail throughout the eagle's breast feathers and trailing wing feathers. There is much more we could write about the sharp relief, but this gives a fair outline of what is in store for eager bidders. As for the luster, this too is spectacular: frosty in quality, with the surfaces awash in vivid original reddish-golden color. A shallow diagonal mark is evident on Liberty's torso; also seen, a pair of similar diagonal ticks along the upper curve of one wing of the eagle. These are the only notable pedigree markers. Belief is that only 275-330 1925-S $20s have survived the gold recall of the early-to-mid 1930s. Pop 2; 2 finer with 1 in 66, 1 in 67 (PCGS # 9182) .
1925 was a busy time for the historian to talk about. For one thing, Harry Houdini, the famous magician, was at the pinnacle of his career, while in the deep South, there was a spectacular Florida land boom going on (which crashed the year following this after an unexpected hurricane blew through and devastated the region along with all the false hopes that investors had had for an easy "Put Only 10% Down" profit).
Meanwhile, a few hundred miles away and inland from Florida in 1925 occurred the remarkable Scopes Monkey Trial, when two high-priced lawyers of the day battled in the courts to discover whether mankind really is just a higher form of ape. The trial in the friendly sociable town of Dayton, Tennessee, made headlines around the world and put this little spot on the map on the front pages for all time. In fact, it made quite a show during an otherwise broiling hot summer that year, with the pious William Jennings Bryan on one side fighting the State's case against an avowed atheist, Clarence Darrow, lawyer for the defense. In the end, the "defendant," a school teacher by the name of John Scopes, was found guilty for teaching evolution to his high school class and fined $100 for breaking a law which prohibited such instruction. (The fine was afterwards rescinded on a technicality.) As Wikipedia describes it: "The trial drew intense national publicity, with modernists pitted against traditionalists over the teaching of evolution in the schools and a Fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible. The trial proved a critical turning point in the American creation-evolution controversy." Such is the environment in which this handsome $20 gold piece entered the world. It, at least in numismatic circles, has become a legend in its own right!
Estimated Value $90,000 - 100,000.
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| Realized $83,375 |
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