By James McCartney – Senior Numismatist, Stack’s Bowers ……
Stack’s Bowers Galleries is featuring an original and matched 1881 Proof Set in our Official Auction for the ANA World’s Fair of Money this August, a group that is being offered publicly for the first time. The set offers incredible preservation and beautiful toning, highlighted by a magnificent Proof-68 (PCGS) CAC 1881 Morgan dollar in lot 4135 of our Rarities Night session. One of only 984 examples struck, it is tied at the top of the PCGS Population Report and ranks as the sole the finest seen by CAC.
This stunning Ultra Gem really needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. The surfaces are wonderfully original in preservation, the obverse with a partial crescent of antique copper peripheral toning that gives way to smoky-silver and apricot-gray patina elsewhere. The reverse is superficially similar in appearance, although the peripheral color is confined to the left half of the coin and the two latter colors are less extensive. Indeed, both sides retain areas of brilliance, and both display vivid cobalt blue and reddish-apricot undertones. The strike is full, the finish brightly reflective, and the surfaces are so smooth that the coin borders on pristine.
This Proof 1881 Morgan dollar, and the balance of the original set, is included in our Official Auction for the ANA World’s Fair of Money this August, accompanying a vast selection of world-class rarities including the finest known 1804 dollar, an original 1827/3 quarter, a Mint State 1796 Stars quarter eagle, and many other treasures.
The Live portions of the August sale will be held from August 16-21 and broadcast in high definition across a number of platforms including our website, Facebook and YouTube. The Internet-Only sessions will take place the next week, August 23-25. For more information on our August auction, please contact Stack’s Bowers Galleries by telephone at 800-566-2580 or by email at [email protected].
