1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition $50. Octagonal. MS-65 (NGC). Boldly lustrous golden-orange surfaces with lively honey highlights, a coin that will pass muster on any close-in inspection. Easily the ready equal of any other Gem example of the issue in numismatic hands, certainly just as lovely and just as desirable.<p>The San Francisco Mint produced 1,500 examples of each variant of Panama-Pacific $50 for sale at the Exposition. Due to their different shape and the addition of the symbolic dolphin border, the octagonal pieces proved more popular with contemporary buyers, resulting in a greater distribution than the $50 round. In truth, sales for both were disappointing, the original asking price of $100/coin proving too steep for most contemporary Americans. Attempts to increase sales by discounting the price of the $50s when offered as part of sets with the smaller denomination Panama-Pacific coins did little to improve the situation, and in the end most examples of both varieties were melted as unsold. The distribution for the octagonal proved to be just 645 pieces, greater than that of 483 coins for its round counterpart, but still a small total that explains the scarcity of survivors in todays market. Eagerly sought in all grades, and understandably so, we anticipate keen bidder interest for this remarkable condition rarity in Gem Mint State preservation. PCGS# 7452. NGC ID: BYLX. NGC Census: 44; 14 finer (MS-67 finest). From the Madrone Collection.