 1861 Very Choice Brilliant Proof. Here is a very high quality specimen of this often poorly produced issue. Fields are more intensely mirrored than usual, and the strike is bolder than usually encountered. Surfaces are a lovely yellow-gold, with a layer of pronounced coppery toning on both sides. Although 1,000 Proofs are estimated to have been struck, the Civil War intervened and the number actually sold and preserved was undoubtedly far fewer. This probably accounts for the difficulty in finding well-made, well-kept specimens like the present coin.
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