1916 25C Standing Liberty, FH MS(PCGS#5705)

May 2019 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

1059

Grade

MS66+FH

Price

99,000

Lot Description

Phenomenal Premium Gem 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter Eagerly Sought Key Date Issue 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter. MS-66+ FH (PCGS). CAC. This is a simply outstanding example of one of the most desirable silver coin issues attributed to the 20th century United States Mint. Intensely lustrous surfaces exhibit a smooth, billowy, frosty texture throughout. The reverse is essentially untoned, while for the obverse we note blushes of pale champagne-pink and reddish-russet patina that are boldest at the border. Smartly impressed with a sharp to full strike that readily upholds the validity of the coveted Full Head designation from PCGS. This popular and eagerly sought issue hails from an era that numismatic researcher Roger W. Burdette has dubbed the "Renaissance of American Coinage." The year 1916 saw the introduction of three of the designs that collectors generally agree number among the most beautiful ever struck in the United States Mint: Adolph A. Weinman's Mercury dime and Walking Liberty half dollar, and Hermon A. MacNeil's Standing Liberty quarter. The last named was also the last produced, the initial mintage confined to the Philadelphia Mint and amounting to a scant 52,000 pieces. As these first Standing Liberty quarters were struck late in 1916, the coins were released the following year along with the initial batches of 1917 Type I examples. The simultaneous release seems to have resulted in the 1916 slipping past many contemporary Americans, most of whom set aside examples of the far more plentiful 1917 Type I issue as keepsakes of the new design. The result is that, while the high mintage 1917 Type I is one of the most common Standing Liberty quarters in Mint State, the low mintage 1916 is one of the scarcest. Highly ranked in rarity within the wider context of 20th century United States Mint coinage, as well, the inclusion of this condition rarity Gem will confirm the significance of any collection. PCGS Population: 2; 6 finer in this category (MS-67+ FH finest). CAC Population: 6; 3. PCGS# 5705. NGC ID: 242Y. Click here for certification details from PCGS.