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1864 $5 JD-1, High R.6, PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC....
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Sold on Jan 14, 2026 for:
$146,400.00
Bid Source: HA.com/Live bidder
Description
1864 Liberty Half Eagle, PR65
Rare Ultra Cameo Example
Extremely Rare Any Finer
1864 $5 JD-1, High R.6, PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC. Wartime
hoarding of precious-metal coinage caused the federal government to
suspend specie payments in late 1861. As a result, the cost of gold
proof sets rose dramatically and demand decreased accordingly
during this era. Oddly, the Philadelphia Mint bucked this trend in
1864, increasing the mintage of proof half eagles to 50 pieces, a
dramatic increase over the 30-piece mintage of the year before.
Perhaps Mint officials anticipated increased collector demand,
because the tiny circulation strike production of 4,170 examples
would result in increased pressure from date collectors on the
small supply of proofs.The proofs were delivered in a single batch on February 11, and a single die pair was used to strike all the proofs. This was the only use of the obverse die, but the reverse was used previously to strike proofs in 1863. An artifact below Liberty's ear on the obverse of the proof die makes it easy for collectors to distinguish between proofs and prooflike business strikes. This artifact has been described as a die line, or crack, in the past, but John Dannreuther believes it is actually due to die rust. Despite the larger-than-average mintage, John Dannreuther estimates only 14-16 examples survive today in all grades, while PCGS CoinFacts estimates 18 to 22 examples are extant. It seems likely that some examples went unsold, and were melted after the end of the year. It is also possible that some original owners simply spent their coins for face value, during hard financial times in the 19th century. Current population data seems to be inflated by resubmissions and crossovers. Two pieces are included in the National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institution, and another is in the ANS collection.
The coin offered here is a spectacular Gem proof, with needle-sharp definition on all design elements. Field-device contrast is dramatic, as the richly frosted devices seem to float on the deeply mirrored fields. Only a few scattered minor hairlines are evident on the impeccably preserved orange-gold surfaces and overall eye appeal is terrific. Census: 2 in 65 Ultra Cameo, 3 finer (11/25).
From The Presidio Collection.
Coin Index Numbers: (Variety PCGS# 106806, Base PCGS# 98454)
Weight: 8.36 grams
Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
View all of [The Presidio Collection ]
Auction Info
2026 January 14 - 17 FUN US Coins Signature® Auction #1390 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
January, 2026
14th-17th
Wednesday-Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 16
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 214
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid per lot.
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