1867 5C No Rays, DCAM PR(PCGS#93821)

1867 5C No Rays, DCAM PR (PCGS#93821)

November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: Offered is a phenomenal strike and condition rarity from the initial year of Proof coinage for the No Rays Shield nickel design type. Fully untoned with an ice-white appearance, the surfaces allow ready appreciation of stark field to device contrast. The former areas are highly reflective, the latter features nicely frosted. Virtually pristine with a razor sharp strike rounding out a truly impressive list of physical attributes.<p>The first of the No Rays Shield nickels in Proof format, the mintage of the 1867 was not recorded by Mint personnel. Q. David Bowers (2006) estimates it at 850 to 1,100 coins, while John W. Dannreuther (2023) provides a more exact figure of 700 pieces struck for the more plentiful Type II Reverse variety. Survivors are scarce by the standards of this type and number only 550 or so coins in all grades (again per Dannreuther). The typical example encountered in today's market is lightly hairlined with below average eye appeal, the kind of coin that grades Proof-60 to Proof-64. Exceedingly rare as a Superb Gem Deep Cameo Proof, as such, the coin offered here would serve with distinction in the finest collection.