1878 8TF $1 VAM 14.3, Doubled Bow PR(PCGS#134107)

1878 8TF $1 VAM 14.3, Doubled Bow PR (PCGS#134107)

Spring 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Losbeschreibung: Glassy fields support lightly frosted motifs on both sides of this undeniable Proof specimen. The entire package is dressed in delicate iridescent toning of golden-gray that yields to brilliance at direct lighting angles. Fully struck with each individual feather on the eagle's breast and hair strand over Liberty's ear crisply delineated.<p>Among Proof Morgan dollars, few pieces are as desired as that of 1878 with 8 Tailfeathers, representing the first style of the design, and thus very distinctive. The mintage is not known with certainty, but is usually estimated at 500 pieces, reasonable enough, as examples are elusive today. Although a production of 500 coins would indicate that specimens would come on the market with some frequency, this is simply not true. For some reason, examples are rarer than they should be, perhaps calling into question the estimate. Whatever the situation, today the Proof 1878 8 Tailfeathers is indeed rare, and examples, when seen, usually come on the market one at a time, and at widely spaced intervals.<p>At least two die pairings are known for this Proof issue, suggesting multiple striking periods. VAM-14.3, offered here, and VAM-14.8 both also exist in circulation strike format. The former is most readily attributable by the presence of a tiny die line protruding from Liberty's lower eyelid on the obverse and minor doubling to the leaves along the lower right portion of the wreath on the reverse.