Lot 665
1856. NGC Proof, obverse damage. Still a decent looking coin that should easily realize our conservative estimate. Popular Key Date. The government’s imminent approval of a statute to alter the amalgam of the Cent in 1856 left Mint Director Snowden pleading for a design to begin trial strikings without delay. The task of achieving a satisfactory product in this environment fell to James Barton Longacre. For the obverse, the designer selected a variant of the flying eagle that graced the reverse of the 1836-9 Gobrecht Pattern Dollars. Although nearly two decades old, this eagle hadn’t faded into obscurity; it had appeared on several Patterns of 1854-5. The reverse got a copy of the wreath of corn, cotton, maple, and tobacco that already appeared on Longacre’s Dollar and $3 Gold pieces. Despite the short production run of this design, the rarity and allure of 1856 Proof strikings insured that it would remain forever a part of the collecting lore and popularity.
Estimated Value $7,000 - 7,500.
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| Realized $8,913 |
