1911 $5 PR(PCGS#8542)

February 2026 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part II

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

23027

Grade

PR67

Price

162,000

Lot Description

This is a true connoisseur's piece, a splendid Superb Gem Sandblast Proof of Bela Lyon Pratt's Indian half eagle. The strike detail is extremely sharp, as it is on virtually all Sandblast Proof gold coins of the early 20th century. The color of this piece is characteristic of the issue with deep, rich honey-olive overall. The surfaces also show the typical granularity (as made) with myriad sparkling facets to the texture. The preservation is outstanding to support the premium Proof-67 numeric grade from PCGS, and verified by both CAC and CMQ. This is one of the finest known for the issue, in fact, and will impress even the most discerning collector of Proof Indian and Saint-Gaudens coinage.<p>The Philadelphia Mint struck 139 Proof half eagles in 1911, John W. Dannreuther accounting for only 80 to 100 survivors in all grades when he published his <em>United States Proof Coins</em> volume on gold coinage in 2018. This is the first of the later Sandblast Proofs in the Indian series, after the Mint abandoned the Satin Proof finish of 1909 and 1910. The decision was taken after a vote among attendees of the 1910 ANA Convention showed that the sandblast pieces were preferred.