1883 Hawaii Ten Cents. Medcalf-Russell 2CS-1. Proof-61 (PCGS).With fully impressed, razor sharp design elements and appreciably reflective fields, this silver-tinged example is an undeniable Proof striking of a type that is typically offered in circulation strike format.<p>At the time of David Kalakauas election as king of the Hawaiian Islands in 1874 by the legislature, most of the money in circulation were American gold and silver coins, so much so that they were made legal tender. Beginning in 1879, the Hawaiian kingdom began issuing its own paper currency and the following year, a law was passed to purchase bullion from the United States to have a unique Hawaiian coinage produced. In 1883, Finance chair Walter Gibson appointed sugar magnate Claus Spreckels to act as an intermediary between the royal government and the United States Mint. Spreckels worked with Chief Engraver Charles Barber, who then designed a series of coins ranging from 10 cents to a silver dollar all of roughly equivalent size to their American counterparts (with the exception of the abandoned one-eighth dollar coin). The coins intended for circulation were all struck at the San Francisco Mint and were shipped to Hawaii where they were used until the 1890s when they were withdrawn after the islands were annexed to the United States. In addition to the regular issues, six Proof sets were prepared and struck at Philadelphia in September 1883, then an additional 20 sets were made in 1884 using the same 1883-dated dies, but these sets included the proposed but never adopted eighth dollar denomination. While the coins intended for circulation are available on a regular basis, this is not the case with the very rare Proof specimens. Extremely rare at any level of preservation and an important survivor of Kalakauas brief numismatic legacy.
