Owner Comments:
Total Graded: 76080
Total Prooflike: 273
Percentage: 0.3588%
Prooflike gold is rare! The $2.5 Liberty head is no exception. This series ran for a very long time, but mintages were never large. Because of their small size, they also tend to be less popular with collectors. High grade coins are also scarce – the majority of these gold coins tends to be in the 61 or 62 range. Prooflike coins have a similar grade profile; 61 is the most common grade for a prooflike quarter eagle.
Prooflike coins can be found through the entire series, although the early decades are very rare (and very expensive). Prooflikes start to become more common in the 1880’s, as with most series from the era. They certainly still aren’t common by any means, but if you are going to get a PL example of a quarter eagle, it will probably be from the 1880-1907 period (1904 has the most graded of any date, with 22).
The coin I’ve chosen for my set is a stunning example. At MS-64, it is considerably above the average grade. This coin was first certified by NGC (without PL), and was then crossed to PCGS (who, of course, don’t designate PL). I bought it in the PCGS plastic, and have not yet crossed it back. However, it is clearly a no-brainer PL. The reverse of this glittering beauty borders on DPL. The strike is remarkable, and the smooth fields highlight the deep mirrors. There is a bit of cameo effect on the reverse which sets the eagle off nicely. This is truly a remarkable coin.