1908 $2.50 PR(PCGS#7957)

November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3111

Grade

PR65

Price

30,000

Lot Description

We are delighted to present in this lot an exquisite Gem representative of the premier Proof in the Indian quarter eagle series. Handsome deep honey-olive surfaces are originally and expertly preserved, allowing ready appreciation of the coarse-grain sand blast finish and the fully defined strike.<p>Bela Lyon Pratt's unique incuse Indian Head design made its debut on the quarter eagle and half eagle in 1908. Pratt's attractive design was part of the era that noted numismatic researcher Roger Burdette has termed the "Renaissance of American Coinage." The dawn of this era is closely associated with President Theodore Roosevelt, one of whose many causes was the improvement of the nation's coinage designs. Indeed, Pratt had come to the attention of the president through a mutual friend, Dr. William Sturgis Bigelow, a physician who was also a passionate collector of Japanese art.<p>The introduction of Pratt's new design (along with those of Augustus Saint-Gaudens) prompted the Mint to use a radically new finish in its production of Proof gold coinage. Whereas Proofs of the preceding Liberty Head design had been produced using either a cameo or all-brilliant finish, the Proof 1908 Indian quarter eagle was prepared using the technique of sand blasting the surfaces after striking to provide a heavy, coarse-grain texture to the finish.<p>In anticipation of strong sales linked to the debut of the new design type, the Philadelphia Mint struck a generous number (500 pieces) of Proof 1908 quarter eagles. While enough specimens were indeed ordered and preserved by the contemporary public to make the 1908 the most plentiful Proof Indian two-and-a-half in today's market, the sand blast finish came as a shock to many and overall sales were disappointing. Only 236 examples were actually distributed, with the remainder eventually melted as unsold. This expertly preserved Gem numbers among the finer survivors known to PCGS and CAC, and it is a lovely example of both the type and Sand Blast Proof production methods.