1911 $20 PR(PCGS#9208)

The June 2012 Baltimore Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

4455

等级

PR65

价格

336,027

详细说明

1911 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Proof-65 (NGC). A fully original piece that displays the characteristic finish of this Sand Blast Proof issue, both sides exhibit a coarse grain matte like texture comprised of myriad sparkling facets. The color is a deep mustard-yellow, also characteristic of the issue, and the devices are fully defined from a razor sharp strike. Free of distracting "shiny spots" or other blemishes, and in fact overall smooth, this solidly graded Gem has some legitimate claim to an even higher grade.<br /> <br /> Of the 1911 Proof double eagle only 100 were made. The Mint called these Sand Blast Proofs at the time, but collectors generally refer to them as matte. They were fashioned by taking a 1911 twenty carefully struck on a hydraulic medal press and blasting it with a stream of tiny sand particles. This process was popularized at the Paris Mint in the 1890s and attracted the addition of artists and medalists in America, inspiring the Mint to use it for certain products such as Assay Commission medals.<br /> <br /> As desired as Sand Blast Proofs are by today's discerning numismatists, in their era they were not widely sought by collectors. Either not all of the 100 pieces struck were distributed, or most were later spent. We estimate that no more than 30 of the 1911 date survive today. Proof gold double eagles had little resale value and both B. Max Mehl and Henry Chapman stated that as they could only be sold for $21 or so, they often turned them into the banks! Incredible to contemplate today. (Mehl once told Dave Bowers that he was in the dining car of a train, had left his wallet in the sleeping car, so spent a Proof Barber half dollar he had in his pocket).<br /> <br /> In his May 1915 sale of the B.W. Smith Collection Mehl offered Lot 13: &ldquo;1911 Sandblast Proof. Very scarce, as but few Proofs were struck.&rdquo; It realized $20.60.<br /> <br /> Beginning in a very significant way in the 1970s, the long-overlooked Sand Blast Proofs ach