1886 Gold Dollar. JD-2. Rarity-6-. Low Date. Proof-66 Cameo (NGC).

This is a truly mesmerizing piece displaying pale yellow-gold color at the centers and fiery orange toning at the borders. It is incredibly well struck with lovely reflectivity in the fields and an unbroken frosty texture on the devices. Dusted in original patina, this piece is being presented as part of a nicely matched 1886 gold Proof set offered individually in the following lots. It ranks among the very finest known and only three coins are graded higher at NGC. Toward the end of gold dollar production, circulation strike mintages for the denomination were desultory at best, intended primarily to prevent these dates from becoming Proof-only issues. On the other hand, Proof gold dollar production tipped up beginning in 1884 and reached a total of 1,016 specimens in 1886 to help fill orders from jewelers. While many examples were carefully preserved by numismatists, quite a few were mishandled by the public, along with those that were damaged in jewelry. Despite the comparatively healthy production figures, probably little more than 10% remain in numismatic channels today. Two distinct die pairings were used to strike this mintage and the present JD-2 is the rarer of the two, with only 30 to 50 known in all grades.

PCGS# 87636. NGC ID: 25EW.

NGC Census: 12; 3 finer.

From the Dr. Paul and Rosalie Zito Collection. Acquired February 13, 1998.

Estimate: $ 12500