Pedro II 960 Reis 1834/3-R MS61 NGC, Rio de Janeiro mint, cf. KM385 (overdate not listed), Prober-1403 (same), LMB-519 (same), Bentes-500.03 (R4; same). A key date boasting a minuscule mintage of just 154 pieces and the last year of the iconic 960 Reis series before transitioning to Pedro II's short-lived Cruzado issue. Approximately one dozen or so of this exceedingly rare issue are known, this being the absolute finest, followed by a VF35 originally offered in the Paulistana Collection in 2010. The 1834, in terms of rarity, finds itself behind the 1809 issue, a unique business strike permanently housed in the Brazilian Central Bank Museum, and the 1819 from the Bahia mint, with only a handful extant. A deeply uniform, slate-gray patination envelopes this Mint State specimen; a turn of the wrist reveals apricot-tinged reflectivity transitioning towards darker ambers and soft radiance. The strike is definite, yielding an impression of quality most notably found in the details of the crowned arms and tulips, minor cabinet friction seen on the medial arch notwithstanding. Interestingly, though not recorded as an overdate in the standard literature, the only known obverse die for the date shows reworking from an 1833 die on all pieces we have been able to consult. An opportunity almost as rare as the coin itself, and one that will surely entice fevered bidding.

HID09801242017

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