1874 Shield Nickel. Proof-67 (PCGS).A frosty and platinum-white Superb Gem Proof, with faint golden iridescence at the border. The surfaces are essentially pristine, blanketed in uniform satiny luster. From an unrecorded Proof mintage that Q. David Bowers (2006) estimates at 1,000 to 1,200 pieces. Just two coins have been certified finer by PCGS, asserting this as one of the most desirable pieces remaining.