Lot 546
1845 N-14 R6+. Proof 60. Bluish steel brown with 20% of the mint color remaining. No spots, stains, or hairlines and the fields are reflective although the mirrors are not especially deep. However, the strike is soft, especially on stars 1-6, the forehead, on the curls at the shoulder, and in the leaves below ES-OF. These softly struck areas display some of the usual microscopic planchet flakes that usually strike out, especially in the field before the portrait and on the cheek. This cataloger has seen several proof-only late date varieties with similarly weak strikes, and some of those had strikes that were far worse, but this is the first weakly struck 1845 N-14 seen or reported. In addition, the strike is slightly off center to K-7.5. This very rare proof-only variety was found unattributed in an NCS slab where it was called "uncirculated".
Estimated Value $4,000 - 6,000.
Ex Heritage internet auction #28045, 5/2008:25032-Fred Iskra (who took the time to examine the coin rather than rely on the slab label or catalog description).
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| Realized $7,188 |
