1881 G$1, CAM PR(PCGS#87631)

June 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2211

Grade

PR64CAM

Price

6,710

Lot Description

This premium Choice Cameo Proof specimen is uncommonly well preserved for both the type and issue. Both sides exhibit warm, original, deep rose-gold color on carefully preserved surfaces. Bold cameo contrast is seen between frosty, fully impressed devices and nicely reflective fields. Direct lighting calls forth iridescent undertones of pinkish-apricot that further enhance already strong eye appeal.<p>The Proof mintage of 87 pieces for the 1881 gold dollar is perhaps represented by 40 to 50 individual coins today, with some duplication likely within the modest numbers reported in the <em>PCGS Population Report</em> and <em>NGC Census</em>. Among those few that offer bold cameo contrast, as here, are some of the earliest pieces struck by the Proof dies.<p>The number of Proof gold coins produced in 1881 took a modest jump from the typical 20 to 40 pieces struck in the previous decade. Additional orders would be received from numismatists later in the 1880s, and by the time the gold dollar series ended in 1889 yearly Proof mintages had climbed into the 1,000+ coin range. The increased demand for these Proofs did not, however, result in the expected higher survival numbers based on the number of coins known today.