1908 $5 Indian PR(PCGS#8539)

September 2005 Pre-Long Beach Auction #32

拍卖行

Goldberg Auctioneers

批号

2479

等级

PR61

价格

53,507

详细说明

Lot 2479 1908 $5 Indian.PCGS graded Proof 61.Toned. Far fewer marks than one would expect for this grade. The obverse portrays Brule Lakota Chief Hollow Horn Bear, who had taken part in Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade, March 4, 1905. The Chief died March 15, 1913, age 54, at Providence Hospital, according to the notice in the April 1913 Numismatist, which misidentified him as the model for the 1899 $5 Silver Certificates. His true identity as Boston sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt's model for the 1908 Quarter Eagles and half eagles first came to light in an exhibit in the 1988 ANA Convention; we have not yet learned who was the exhibitor. The raised flat fields of the new design meant that Proofs would have to be in one of the French matte finishes. Proofs (1908-15) were not as popular as the old-fashioned brilliant Proofs of former designs, especially because they were darker and duller than business strikes; many were mistakenly spent, others melted in 1916 as unsold. PCGS reports 2 at this level with 58 better. Prior to the 1940s, many collectors turned up their noses at Matte and Satin-finish Proofs. They were caught in a nineteenth century time warp and did not welcome the modernistic, French-inspired coin-matting influence which swept Europe and America during the opening decades of the twentieth century. But time and familiarity soon bore fruit. Today, Matte Proofs are revered more than their brilliant cousins by collectors, who pay highly to acquire them. If you would object with this assertion, then explain the wide price premium that Matte Proofs have (PCGS # 8539) . Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.