 1866 With Motto. Struck from the same dies that were used to manufacture the proofs of this low mintage issue (there being the top of an errant '1' clearly visible in the denticles below the right base of the '1' in the date). Choice Brilliant Uncirculated and a simply stunning specimen! Full glassy-mirrored fields envelope wonderfully rich cameo legends and design elements. The strike is incredibly sharp for a non-proof of this date, there being remarkable star, hair curl, shield, and feather definition. Despite the surface fragility of an example such as this, the jewel offered here maintains an amazingly well-balanced appearance on both the obverse and reverse.
Furthermore, in light of the extreme difficulty in acquiring even a nearly Choice specimen of this date, as well as the extraordinary ''first strike'' characteristics of this example, we have no reservation in stating that the presently offered specimen is quite possibly the finest known business strike extant! In fact, the appearance of this beauty is so remarkable that its pedigree includes at least one offering wherein it was described as a Proof (that being a February 1972 Schulman Sale). David Akers points out that ''[A]s rare as proofs are, however, they are seen more often than Choice Mint State business strikes.'' He lists only seven sales of Uncirculated coins in the long period of time he covers, none approaching the splendid and lofty example presented here.
Ex Auction '84 (Stack's, July 1984, lot 1473); earlier from the Eugene J. Detmer Collection (Stack's, February 1983, lot 1111); earlier from the Jimmy Hayes Collection; earlier from The Bowdoin College Collection (Hans Schulman, February 22, 1972, lot number unknown) wherein it was sold as a proof!
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