1865 3CS MS(PCGS#3685)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

4078

Grade

MS67

Price

15,000

Lot Description

A significant condition rarity whose offering here follows on our sale of the unique 1865 trime in PCGS/CAC MS-69 that realized $180,000 in our August 2024 Global Showcase Auction. Nealy as pristine, and exceptionally so in a circulation strike three-cent silver, the enchanting surfaces of this Superb Gem in PCGS/CAC MS-67 are just a single light scuff in the upper left obverse field away from numismatic perfection. The fields are decidedly semi-reflective but interestingly, do not show the clash marks that are present on most examples of the issue with which we are familiar. Satiny and fully impressed, the devices are set apart in a manner that provides strong suggestions of cameo contrast as the coin dips into a light. Otherwise brilliant, blushes of reddish-gold and powder blue iridescence engage the peripheries. To see this coin is to admire it for both its exceptional eye appeal and awesome technical quality.<p>The trend of limited circulation strike silver three-cent issues that began early in the Civil War reached a low for the era of 8,000 pieces in 1865. Survivors are elusive even in worn condition, while Mint State examples are scarce to rare in all grades. Near the pinnacle of numismatic preservation, this pristine-looking beauty is of the utmost desirability. A stellar-quality type coin, and a significant condition rarity for the issue as well as the silver three-cent series in its entirety, the fleeting nature of this offering can hardly be overstated.