1872 $3, PL MS(PCGS#87994)

Spring 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

3131

等级

MS62PL

价格

68,354

详细说明

A strike and condition rarity three-dollar gold piece with vivid rose-orange surfaces. Razor sharp to full detail graces the design elements, which are satiny and contrast nicely with semi-mirrored reflectivity in the fields. Well composed at the MS-62 numeric grade level, this coin is a highlight of the classic gold offerings in the current sale, and will be a significant addition to the next gold cabinet in which it is included.<p>By 1872 the three-dollar gold denomination had become all but meaningless in commerce. No $3s had been seen in circulation in the East and Midwest for more than 10 years, and with no mintage in the denomination forthcoming from San Francisco since 1860, the small amount of examples seen there in circulation were typically well worn older dates. The Philadelphia Mint continued to make small quantities of circulation strikes each year as they were often purchased, at a premium if using paper money, for holiday and birthday gifts, as well as by contemporary numismatists. In the early part of the 20th century Thomas L. Elder and others sought three-dollar coins from bank tellers and other sources. Elder's efforts made him the primary source of quality pieces for many collectors but by that time, the coins had been in commerce for at least three decades and most showed wear.<p>Today, most high grade 1872 three-dollar gold coins can trace their origin to Elder. Two-thirds of the issue are believed extant but, as above, most of the coins acquired by Elder were circulated and only 60 or so are Uncirculated. The majority of those are at the very lowest Mint State levels, but even in BU the present example is a rarity due to its certified PL grade. Here is a opportunity for the specialist in this unusual denomination.