1865 3CS MS68+ PCGS. CAC....

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1865 Three Cent Silver, MS68+
The Sole Finest Certified

1865 3CS MS68+ PCGS. CAC. Ex: Simpson. This is the single finest known 1865 three cent silver piece. It last appeared at auction in Bowers and Merena's August 1998 Rarities Sale, where it was described as "One of the very finest examples of this issue that could possibly exist." Its rarity in this grade is unsurpassed and almost unequaled by any other example of any other date in the series.

The 1865 three cent silver was at one point thought to exist only in proof format. Mint records indicate a coinage of 8,000 pieces, but the vast majority of these coins remained in government control in 1873, when passage of the new coinage Act resulted in the melting of most of the 1863 to 1872 commercial production of three cent silvers. Many of the survivors are prooflike, which no doubt helped their existence remain hidden from the greater numismatic community until the 1950s. The first public offering of an 1865 three cent silver in business strike format was in New Netherlands' November 1956 sale, where an Uncirculated piece from a New York City collection was offered in lot 852:

"1865. Date recut, the 5 particularly so. Brilliant, early impression from the dies; not a proof. Minute defect or so upon obv. rim. As Uncirculated, RRR. The first one seen by us in other than proof. ..."

In his Encyclopedia, Walter Breen suggested that some of the high-grade business strike survivors of this denomination and era may have been distributed in proof sets in the 1860s. Whatever the case, the survivorship for the 1865 is small, heightening the importance of the present coin.

The Simpson coin displays heavy clashing in the semireflective fields, as is normal for the issue, with satiny luster and sharp devices. Sun-gold and amber toning in the margins on each side adds to the eye appeal. The preservation is virtually flawless. Population: 1 in 68 (1 in 68+), 0 finer (11/21). CAC: 1 in 68, 0 finer (12/21).(Registry values: N1)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 22ZF, PCGS# 3685, Greysheet# 3632)

Weight: 0.75 grams

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

View all of [Important Selections from The Bob R. Simpson Collection, Part VII ]

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