LOT #6477 |
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1891 25C
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Sold on Sep 24, 1999 for:
Not Sold Description
1891-O Branch Mint Proof Seated Quarter, A Landmark Rarity in the Series
1891-O 25C PR 62 ANACS. The resumption of quarter dollar coinage in 1891 was an important occasion in the history of the New Orleans Mint. After its seizure by rebel authorities at the outbreak of the Civil War, the facility produced a limited number of coins for the Confederate States of America before Union forces liberated the Crescent City in early 1862. Over the next sixteen years, the federal government used the mint building for various purposes, none of which included coinage. The passage of the Bland-Allison Act in 1878 and the anticipated large scale production of the Morgan dollar led to the reopening of the facility as a branch mint the following year. While silver dollars and various gold denominations flowed from the presses of the southern branch mint over the course of the following decade, minor coinage had to wait until 1891. In that year, as stated earlier, the Liberty Seated quarter re-entered the life of the New Orleans Mint for the first time since 1860 and, by the end of the year, 68,000 business strikes had been produced. To mark the occasion, the New Orleans Mint also struck at least two proof specimens. These pieces, along with their 1855-S counterparts, are the only branch mint proofs in the entire Seated quarter series.In his Encyclopedia of United States and Colonial Proof Coins: 1722-1977, Walter Breen confirms that there are only two extant examples of the 1891-O branch mint proof quarter. His plate coin for the issue is the specimen that appeared as lot 173 in Lester Merkin's Public Auction Sale of October 4, 1969. Another and, presumably, different example was featured as lot 2024 in the 1980 American Numismatic Association Auction (Steve Ivy Numismatic Auctions, Inc., 8/80), where it realized $51,000. As we are unable to discern whether the present specimen is one of these two example or a third, previously unrecorded coin, its pedigree will have to be left as unknown.
This piece's bold impression leaves no star centril, drapery fold, or feather detail incomplete. Despite a blanket of dusky-gold patina that overlays both the obverse and the reverse, this coin's uncommonly reflective fields and nicely contrasted devices are readily evident with even the most casual glance. Numerous, seemingly misplaced clash marks abound on both sides about the central devices, although we note that this specimen does display partial wire rims. While light hairlines have gathered in the fields and serve to limit the grade, these distractions pale in comparison to this coin's rarity, historical significance, and popularity among dedicated Seated quarter enthusiasts. Only the strongest bid will secure this ultimate representation of the 1891-O quarter for a prized collection.
Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 23XP, PCGS# 5592, GSID# 5384)
Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Weight: 6.25 grams
ASW: 0.18085oz
Mintage: 600
Auction Info
1999 September Long Beach Sale #212 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
September, 1999
23rd-24th
Thursday-Friday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 315
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