1860 $2.50, CAM PR(PCGS#87886)

Spring 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

경매인

Stack's Bowers

로트 번호

3097

등급

PR66CAM

가격

120,000

로트 설명

A splendid Cameo Proof of the highest order. The devices are satiny and the fields are deep golden mirrors. Fully struck and expertly preserved, this is one of the loveliest and most desirable early date Proof Liberty Head quarter eagles of any date that we have ever had the privilege of bringing to auction.<p>Proof quarter eagle coinage increased dramatically in 1859, when 80 coins were prepared as opposed to only eight the preceding year. This trend accelerated in 1860, when 112 Proofs of this denomination were prepared, and continued strong in 1861 when 90 Proofs were struck. Numismatics as a hobby was experiencing its first great surge in popularity in the United States during the late 1850s, and the Mint was eager to share in the profits. So eager, in fact, that it widely overshot the mark when it came to anticipated demand for Proof quarter eagles in each of the three years from 1859 through 1861. With only a dozen coins positively confirmed in the 2018 Dannreuther census for this issue, most of the 112 Proofs struck in 1860 were either melted (in January 1862) or released into commerce, the latter either by the Mint or after purchase, in both cases at face value. Two of the traced specimens are in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution and the ANS Collection, thereby further reducing the number available for private ownership in the modern market. This is one of only three specimens that we have handled for auction in recent decades, the others being the Eliasberg and Garrett coins. None of these have passed through our hands since we last brought the present specimen to auction in our (Bowers and Merena's) May 2000 Bass III sale. The rarity of this coin - both absolute and condition - and fleeting nature of this offering for a stellar-quality Proof 1860 quarter eagle can hardly be overstated.