1881 $3 MS (PCGS#8003)
The January 2013 Americana Sale
- Auctioneer
- Stack's Bowers
- Lot Number
- 13303
- Grade
- MS62
- Price
- 13,219
- Lot Description
- 1881 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. MS-62 (NGC). Deep yellow-gold surfaces present lively luster as well as prooflike reflectivity in the fields. Scattered hairlines in the field define the assigned grade; if the fields were frosty the lines would be all but invisible. Magnified scrutiny reveals an unusual reverse die situation. Virtually all of the reverse design, especially the wreath and denomination, exhibit a noticeable outline of teeny raised dots; the writer (FVV) has seen this before to a small degree on three-dollar gold pieces, but never to the extent seen here. One of <em><strong>just 500 struck,</strong></em> the lowest circulation strike press run in a series rife with low-mintage dates. All things considered, the present piece is still choice for its grade, and we suspect strong bidding will be the order of the day for this rarity.
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