1886 Indian Cent. Type II Obverse. MS-65 RD (NGC). This remarkable condition rarity Indian cent is bathed in vivid reddish-orange mint color. Satiny in texture and as smooth as on the day of striking, there is much to recommend this beautiful coin to the advanced collector. For unknown reasons, Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber (or another engraver on staff) slightly modified the obverse of James Barton Longacres Indian cent in 1886, lowering the relief and reducing the width of Libertys portrait. The Type II Obverse is further distinguished by the removal of the extra outlines to the letters in the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the lack of a gap between the lower hair curl and the bottom of the ribbon. The most widely known feature of this obverse hub, however, is the lowermost feather in Libertys headdress pointing between the letters CA in AMERICA. The Type II Obverse received its first numismatic exposure in 1954 when Michigan dealer Jim Reynolds wrote of it in the <em>Numismatic Scrapbook</em> magazine. It has since been recognized as scarcer than its Type I Obverse counterpart, with Rick Snow (2014) estimating that of the 17,654,290 circulation strike cents produced in 1886 only 7,650,000 examples were of the Type II Obverse design. In the finest Mint State grades this variety is a formidable condition rarity, the NGC full Red Gem offered here representing what could very well be a once in a lifetime bidding opportunity for the advanced collector.
