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Description

1870 Seated Dollar, PR67 Ultra Cameo
Single Finest Certified Example

1870 $1 PR67 ★ Ultra Cameo NGC. The 1870 proof Seated Liberty dollar claims a generous mintage of 1,000 pieces, but the issue is much more difficult to locate than that figure suggests. The coins were issued with the proof sets, and Q. David Bowers speculates that a number of sets may have gone unsold, and were melted after the end of the year. It is certain that many silver coins were melted after July 10, 1873, when the weight of subsidiary silver coinage was adjusted, but since the silver dollar's composition remained unchanged this may not have been a factor. For whatever reason, proof silver dollars of 1870 are definitely scarcer than proofs of some other dates from that era, some of which claim considerably lower production totals.

The present coin is almost certainly the finest known specimen of this elusive date. For pedigree purposes, we note a small patch of obverse planchet roughness in the field between stars 1 and 2, and a single dark fleck on Liberty's neck. The surfaces are remarkably free of even the smallest signs of post-strike contact, although a few lint marks appear to be remnants of the original proof production. The fields are radiantly mirrored, and liberal, thick mint frost coats the devices front and back. The strike is exacting even if we cannot call it quite full, as we note a small weak area on the eagle's left (facing) leg and claw. The feathers elsewhere, fletchings, star points, and other details, are articulated in a sculptural way that few Seated dollar proofs demonstrate.

The NGC Star designation is reserved for only the finest, most eye-appealing examples, an appellation that this piece richly deserves. A fine coin for the finest collection, and one that we suspect will see spirited bidding. Coins with Deep or Ultra Cameo surfaces are very rare. The NGC Census Report shows two PR65 Ultra Cameo examples, a single PR66 Ultra Cameo piece, with this PR67 Ultra Cameo as the sole finest. PCGS shows seven Deep Cameo certification events, with a single PR66 Deep Cameo as their finest certified specimen (9/14).
Ex: FUN Signature (Heritage, 7/2011), lot 3775.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 252S, PCGS# 97018, Greysheet# 7339)

Weight: 26.73 grams

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper


View Certification Details from NGC

Auction Info

Auction Dates
November, 2014
6th-10th Thursday-Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 7
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 2,408

Buyer's Premium per Lot:
17.5% of the successful bid per lot.

Sold on Nov 6, 2014 for: $39,362.50
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