Lot 1719
1911. PCGS graded MS-64. Lovely light gold toning. The surfaces are sleek and glowing with a healthy show of golden color some of which shows warm toning. Everything above-board and attractive. The equally choice devices were struck with energy and full pressure by the dies imparting all key design features boldly.
Almost every new issue meets with howls of protest from self-appointed art connoisseurs; and Bela Lyon Pratt's distinctive Indian Head Half Eagles of 1908 to 1929 were no exception. According to Breen, who did extensive research on the series for his encyclopedia, "Pratt's designs at once came under attack, probably because of their unfamiliar conception [their recessed relief design]. One of their severest critics was the Philadelphia coin dealer Samuel Hudson Chapman, who falsely alleged that the designs were anti-naturalistic, unhygienic [!], incapable of stacking, and too easily counterfeited. Today, one might have to ask a thousand dealers or collectors their opinion of the coin before receiving back a negative view on the order of that provided by Chapman. Times change; aesthetic standards realign (PCGS # 7942) .
Estimated Value $950 - 1,000.
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| Realized $1,119 |
