1860 G$1, DCAM PR(PCGS#97610)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3210

Grade

PR64DCAM

Price

19,200

Lot Description

Offered for the first time since our (Stack's) October 1973 sale of the George F. Scanlon Collection, this magnificent Deep Cameo Proof has been off the market for 52 years. Both sides have frosty cameo motifs set against a backdrop of deeply mirrored fields. The surfaces are warm golden-orange with a hint of pinkish-rose iridescence also evident on the reverse. This is an undeniably original coin. It is also sharply struck with virtually all design features defined to full advantage, including the individual strands of Liberty's hair and the feathers in her headdress. Magnification reveals some faint, Mint-caused planchet granularity in and around the central reverse, most notably at the digits 86 in the date and to the right of the digit 1 in the denomination. Granularity is more limited on the obverse and confined essentially to the area around the letters U in UNITED and RI in AMERICA. This granularity is common for Proof 1860 gold dollars and is present on other examples of the issue that we have handled over the years. There are no significant post-production blemishes, and the validity of the Choice Proof grade is assured. Lovely in all regards, this is an impressive coin that will have no difficulty finding its way into an advanced cabinet.<p>Despite a mintage of just 154 coins - certainly very limited in an absolute sense - the 1860 gold dollar was produced in substantial numbers for a Proof gold coin of its era. The anticipated demand from contemporary collectors failed to materialize, however, and actual distribution fell far short of that total with John W. Dannreuther (2018) estimating that only 30 or examples were actually sold. According to research by R.W. Julian (as related by Dannreuther), unsold Proof 1860 and Proof 1861 gold dollars "were sent to the Melter and Refiner in January 1862 and consigned to the melting pots." The present example, among the very finest certified given the Deep Cameo designation from PCGS and endorsement from CAC, is one of just 20 or so pieces believed extant. It numbers among the rarest of Proof gold coins of any denomination or type that we have ever offered and is sure to see spirited bidding among specialists.<p>The single die marriage of this issue is most readily identifiable by a pair of die lines extending left from Liberty's earlobe.