1874 Gold Dollar. JD-1. Rarity-7-. Proof-65+ Deep Cameo (PCGS). CAC.Offered is the single finest PCGS-certified and CAC-approved survivor of one of the rarest, most underrated issues in the Proof gold dollar series. A delightful premium Gem, both sides are boldly cameoed in finish with satiny motifs set against a backdrop of watery reflectivity in the fields. The entire package is dressed in beautiful, original colors in deep orange and rose-gold. Fully struck, as befits the method of manufacture, the absence of most of the word LIBERTY on the headband is a function of how the Mint prepared this particular obverse die. There are no post-production blemishes to report, tiny strike throughs (as made) low on Libertys neck and at the border outside the final letter A in AMERICA mentioned solely as identifying features. An exquisite specimen that would serve as a centerpiece in even the finest gold cabinet.<p>The reported mintage for the Proof 1874 gold dollar is just 20 pieces, all of which were delivered on February 14. Remarkably, three (!) die pairings have been confirmed among the survivors. Writing in the outstanding 2018 reference <em>United States Proof Coins</em>, John W. Dannreuther asserts that either the Mint struck Proofs of this issue on two or three separate occasions during the first quarter of the year, or the reported mintage is incorrect and additional pieces were struck after February 14. In either case, this is an underrated issue in todays market that Dannreuther ranks alongside the 1873 as one "of the rarest Proof gold dollars." The author estimates that only 10 to 16 specimens are extant, most of which are from the JD-1 die pairing, as here. Only two examples in PCGS Proof-65 are listed for this issue in its entirety in the Dannreuther reference. One is the offered coin, the other is from our (Bowers and Merenas) Bass III Sale of May 2000.<p>The JD-1 and JD-2 attributions of this issue share the same obverse die, identifiable by the incomplete word LIBERTY on the headband with only the letter L discernible and the I faint. On the reverse of JD-1, used only in this pairing, the top of the right ribbon bow points to the right corner of the digit 7 in the date.PCGS# 97624. NGC ID: 25EH.PCGS Population: 1; 0 graded higher in any category.<p>CAC Stickered Population: 4 in all grades; all categories. The offered coin is the highest graded with CAC approval.From Heritages Long Beach Signature Auction of February 2009, lot 2396; Heritages sale of the Ives Devos Collection, January 2013 FUN Signature Auction, lot 5798.
