$245,000.00 USD
The Philadelphia Mint struck a mere 128 proof Liberty double eagles for collectors in 1896, the largest proof mintage of the denomination in the 19th century. The proofs were delivered in quarterly batches throughout the year, with more than half the mintage (69 pieces) delivered in the last quarter. The Mint's die use and destruction document indicates a single pair of dies was used to strike all the proofs. The obverse die has a small die line below Liberty's ear and the last tailfeather on the reverse is attenuated, due to lapping, making it possible to distinguish between real proofs and prooflike business strikes.
The 1896 gold proofs were among the best-produced issues of the classic proof era, and many survivors show dramatic field/device contrast. The high quality of the 1896 proofs probably encouraged collectors to save them more extensively than lower-quality proofs of other dates, during economic downturns. In his series reference, United States Proof Coins, Volume IV: Gold, John Dannreuther estimates very low number of 30 to 50 proofs are extant in all grades today, all told. Two coins are included in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution and another is in the collection of the American Numismatic Society.
The present coin is a absolutely spectacular Choice example, with deeply sharp detail design elements and a rich coat of mint frost on the devices, obverse and reverse, that superbly contrasts profoundly with the deeply watery mirrored fields. The deep contrast creates intense gold-on-black gorgeous cameo flash when the coin is tilted in the light. The well-preserved orange-gold surfaces show only a few scattered ticks and hairlines in the fields. Overall eye appeal is beyond terrific and the higher quality within the grade is confirmed by CAC. Very Rare.
