1908 $2.50 PR(PCGS#7957)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3238

Grade

PR67

Price

36,000

Lot Description

This charming and rare Superb Gem is a highly desirable Proof Indian quarter eagle. Fully struck with razor sharp definition throughout the design, both sides also offer deep color in a blend of khaki-gold and olive, with hints of more vivid honey-gold tinting that are more pronounced on the reverse. The delicate sandblast finish exhibits myriad sparkling facets upon close inspection with a loupe, but the surfaces reveal no "shiny spots" or other detracting blemishes.<p>Bela Lyon Pratt's unique incuse Indian Head design made its debut on the quarter eagle and half eagle in 1908. Pratt's attractive design was part of 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, one of whose many causes was the 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 new design coincided with the Mint's use of a radically new finish in its production of Proof gold. Whereas Proofs of the preceding Liberty Head design had used either a cameo or all-brilliant finish, the Proof 1908 Indian quarter eagle was prepared using the technique of sandblasting the surfaces after striking to provide a heavy, coarse-grain texture to the finish.<p>In anticipation of strong sales linked to the debut of the new design type, the Philadelphia Mint struck a generous 236 Proof 1908 quarter eagles. While enough specimens were indeed ordered and preserved by the contemporary public to make the 1908 the most plentiful Proof Indian $2.50 in today's market, the sandblast finish came as a shock to many, and overall sales were disappointing. Probably at least one third of the mintage was eventually melted as unsold. This expertly preserved Superb Gem numbers among the finer survivors known to the major third-party certification services. It is a handsome example of both the type and Sandblast Proof production methods.