1886 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. JD-1, the only known dies. Rarity-4. Proof-65+ Deep Cameo (PCGS). CAC. This handsome and fully original Gem Proof 1886 $3 represents one of our finest auction offerings for the issue in a decade. Vivid medium gold color blankets both sides. Sharply stuck with subtle orange-peel texture in the fields and stark contrast against the matte-like design elements. Virtually untouched and superior for the assigned grade, this beautiful specimen is eagerly awaiting inclusion in another advanced numismatic cabinet.<p>By 1886 the three-dollar gold series was rapidly approaching its end, which officially came in the Coinage Act of September 26, 1890. Although this act is dated late in 1890, the final three-dollar gold pieces were produced in 1889. Yearly circulation strike mintages had been limited throughout the entire series, in fact, and especially so after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. By the 1880s the Philadelphia Mint was delivering no more than 6,000 circulation strikes yearly, in most cases no more than 1,000 coins.<p>Beginning in 1884, on the other hand, Proof mintages increased in response to heightened demand from contemporary numismatists. The 1886 was produced to the extent of 142 Proofs, surpassed by the mintages of only the Proof 1887 and Proof 1888. Most of the Proofs struck in 1886 were distributed and subsequently preserved. Numismatic experts are generally in agreement on the number of coins extant, Bowers and Winter (2005) providing a figure in the range of 80 to 100 coins, seconded by Dannreuther (2018), with <em>PCGS CoinFacts</em> offering a similar range of 75 to 90 survivors. The present Proof-65+ Deep Cameo specimen is among the finest known and is an important bidding opportunity for astute gold type or date collectors. PCGS# 98050. NGC ID: 28AV. PCGs Population: 1; 9 finer in this category (Proof-67 Deep Cameo finest).<p>CAC Stickered Population: 4; 7. The former total includes coins certified both Proof-65 Deep Cameo and Proof-65+ Deep Cameo. From Heritages sale of the Bob R. Simpson Collection, Part I, September 2020, lot 10137.