1912 $20 PR (PCGS#9209)
The March 2012 Baltimore Auction
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 4373
- 等级
- PR67
- 价格
- 470,957
- 详细说明
- 1912 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Proof-67 (NGC). All 1912 Proof double eagles are desirable, as these were minted in such low numbers that few could hope to obtain one even at the time they were struck. Few collectors could afford the lofty cost of such a Proof coin, and many disliked the Sand Blast finish used on these historic coins (as well as the Roman finish used on Proofs of 1909 and 1910). Today these Saint-Gaudens Proofs are the caviar of numismatics, as Walter Breen once put it in a subtitle to his book on the subject. Finding an example of this rare date in this near perfect grade is a treat for the specialist. After all, NGC has only graded a dozen this high with one seen finer, out of the original mintage of 74 pieces. Furthermore PCGS has not graded any finer than PR-66.<br />
The finish is that of the Sand Blast Proofs (as they were once called) made by placing a sharply struck coin under a protective hood and blasting it with sand particles. This on the present coin generated a surface with microscopic interlocking facets and a decided lighter gold color to the finish than the more khaki or drab olive finish seen on some earlier dates. The obverse has two additional stars representing the addition of New Mexico and Arizona as states of the Union early in 1912, the two stars placed in the oak leaves below the date. This actually creates a distinct type with the additional stars, putting further pressure on the few Proofs coined from this later period.
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