1908 $2.50 PR(PCGS#7957)

December 2025 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part I

Auktionator

Stack's Bowers

Losnummer

22180

Erhaltungsgrad

PR63

Preis

10.800

Losbeschreibung

This delightful Sand Blast Proof quarter dollar is sharply struck, with both sides exhibiting the heavy coarse-grain texture that characterizes this issue. The color is a deep, rich shade of honey-gold with a tinge of light rose overall that further enhances the eye appeal. While a few faint handling marks are discernible under close scrutiny, both the quality and appearance of this piece are superior at the assigned grade level.<p>Bela Lyon Pratt's unique incuse Indian Head design made its debut on the quarter eagle and half eagle in 1908, early in the era that noted numismatic researcher Roger Burdette has termed the "Renaissance of American Coinage." The dawn of this era is closely associated with President Theodore Roosevelt, who championed improvement of the nation's coinage designs. Indeed, Pratt had come to the attention of the president through a mutual friend, Dr. William Sturgis Bigelow, a physician who was also a passionate collector of Japanese art. The introduction of Pratt's (and Saint-Gaudens') innovative new gold coin designs compelled the Mint's to use a radically new finish in its production of Proof gold coinage. Whereas Proofs of the preceding Liberty Head design had been produced using either a cameo or all-brilliant, mirror field finish, the Proof 1908 Indian quarter eagle was prepared by sand blasting the surfaces after striking to provide a minutely grained texture to the finish.<p>In anticipation of strong sales linked to the debut of the new design, the Philadelphia Mint struck 236 Proof 1908 quarter eagles. While enough specimens were ordered and preserved by the contemporary public to make the 1908 the most available Proof Indian quarter eagle, probably at least one third of the original mintage was eventually melted as unsold. This nicely composed specimen is a lovely example of both the type and Sand Blast Proof production methods.