Lot 621
1857-S. B2-1, Spiked Shield. NGC graded MS-65 Prooflike. A blazing untoned gem. Specially struck that is fully prooflike. An amazing example which we feel is a special striking. Full mirror field on the strips of the shield below the Eagle's head. Probably the first strike at the San Francisco mint in 1857. The eye appeal is absolutely stunning here, with bold mirror reflectivity and a full and sharp strike. The surface are incredible too, with nary a nick or bagmark to be found, this is all the more incredible on these delicate mirror surfaces. Precious few of the S. S. Central America double eagles show any degree of prooflike reflectivity and most are satiny and lustrous. Only the first few coins struck from fresh polished dies show this degree of mirror fields and contrast.
Early on when the first and largest group of 1857-S double eagles were recovered from this shipwreck, PCGS was not designating any of these as Prooflike as there were so few that qualified for this designation that they were just considered early strikes of mint state coins. Later as more and more of these prooflike coins were submitted for grading of later dates and not from any shipwrecks, a separate designation was included for the coins that qualified with enough depth to the reflectivity for the prooflike designation, similar to that on Morgan silver dollars. This sparkling jewel is one such coin with the incredible mirror surfaces in the fields and gem quality too. As time has evolved PCGS has added the Prooflike designation to these early double eagles, if they qualify, but thus far none have graded finer than MS-64+ Prooflike at that grading service. This this is one of the finer examples to be recovered and one of the precious few to show this degree of mirror depth and reflectivity. A stunning coin in hand! Pop 2; 5 finer, 4 in 66+, 1 in 67. Estimated Value $50,000 - UP
Ex S.S. Central America with special NGC label.
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