1863 $5, CAM PR(PCGS#88453)
1863 $5, CAM PR (PCGS#88453)
November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 3127
- 等级
- PR65CAM
- 价格
- 1,450,530
- 详细说明
- A dazzling Gem Cameo Proof, among the finest known for this exceedingly rare issue. A tiny planchet void (as made) in the right obverse field between stars 9 and 10 serves to hallmark this piece. Vivid golden-yellow surfaces are otherwise free of singularly mentionable blemishes, as one should expect given the Proof-65 numeric grade from PCGS. The fields are deeply mirrored in finish and form a splendid backdrop to frosty, smartly impressed design elements. Boldly cameoed in finish with outstanding eye appeal, this elegant Proof gold rarity is earmarked for inclusion in a world-class numismatic cabinet.<p>When cataloging the Eliasberg specimen for auction in 1982, we (as Bowers and Ruddy) noted the following about the Proof 1863 half eagle:<p><p><em>Thirty coins were reported struck, of which only ten or so survive today. Four of these are described by Walter Breen as being impaired (and two additional coins are in the Smithsonian Institution and The American Numismatic Society). How rare is rare? Whatever the definition is, this coin fits it. Another landmark half eagle. And, like other half eagles of this period, the 1863 is rare in any grade.</em><p><p>Writing in 1979, David W. Akers in his <em>United States Gold Coins: An Analysis of Auction Records, Half Eagles</em>, noted that during the preceding 20 years just a single specimen had been offered at auction - the Garrett coin.<p>Fast forwarding to the early 21st century, one will find that the Proof 1863 half eagle retains its reputation for rarity and elusiveness. John W. Dannreuther (<em>United States Proof Coins, Volume IV: Gold</em>, 2018) accounts for only 12 to 14 coins extant in all grades. With two of these specimens impounded in museum collections - the aforementioned Smithsonian and ANS specimens - only around 10 or 12 Proof 1863 half eagles are available for private ownership. These usually trade very infrequently and, indeed, we have offered only one other example of this issue since our (Bowers and Merena's) 1999 sale of the Walter H. Childs Collection - a reappearance of the Eliasberg specimen in our March 2021 Auction. The Amon Carter-Trompeter specimen offered here has not sold at auction since 2015, and its offering in this sale represents a fleeting bidding opportunity for advanced gold enthusiasts. The strongest bids are encouraged.