Owner Comments:
Of the early type 1/5 Sols minted 1863-1875, the 1866 is the by far the most available. In circulated grades, it should be considered quite common, at least for a Peru issue. In low end Unc, a raw example may be found after a few months of searching for a reasonable price. It becomes more scarce in Select and better.
Overdate:
1866/5
Large superscipt o w/large bar, S/S and Large L/Small L in Sol identify this coin besides the overdate. The 6 can often look "filled". 1-8-6 downward, last 6 up.
Easy identifier: There is always an extra leaf in the ferns pointing in between E and R in Peruana that is only present on the overdate. It's conceivable the reverse could be paired with another obverse die.
Minor Varieties:
1. Small superscript o w/small bar, 18 higher than 66
2. Small superscript o w/small bar, 1-8-6-moves downward, last 6 up
3. Small superscript o w/small bar, low leaning last 6
4. Small superscript o w/small bar, wide date, 6 low, leaning only slightly
5. Small superscript o w/small bar, obvious Roman I, last 6 high and leaning, N/N Peruana
6. Small superscript o w/small bar, obvious Roman I, 8 and 6 part, first 6 learns forward, second the other way
7. Small superscript o w/small bar, Curl of last 6 touches upper part of ball of the numeral
8. Small superscript o w/small bar, first 6 thinner and upright
9. Small superscript o w/long bar, Normalish date with curl of last 6 touches upper part of ball of the numeral, possibly same reverse die as #7.
10. Large oval o w/largish bar, 1-8-6 downward, last 6 up, F/F in Feliz and E/E Peruana - likely the same reverse die as #2 repunched
11. Large o w/large bar, Thin I in FINO, low leaning last 6
12. Large oval o w/ short bar, 18 higher than 66, reverse die likely the same as #1
Availability:
G-VF: Very Common
XF-AU: Common
60-62: Common
63-64: Scarce
65+: Difficult
Population Report (Jan 2015):
Normal Date:
NGC: One in 58; One in 62; One in 63; Two in 65
PCGS: One in 58; One in 63; One in 65
Total at both services: 8; 6 in Uncirculated; 3 in Gem
Overdate:
NGC: One in 64; One in 65
PCGS: One in 63; One in 64
Total at both services: 4: 4 in Unciruclated; 1 in Gem
Total for normal plus overdate at both services: 12; 10 in Uncirculated; 4 in Gem
For being a common date overall, there aren't very many certified UNC's to go around. This is a date that can be found in low-end Unc with some looking, but overall, Uncirculated coins are exponentially more difficult to find than circ's.
Value Guide:
1972 Almanzar/Seppa: F: .75 XF: 1 UNC: 1.50
Current KM:
Regular Date: VF: 6 XF: 11 UNC: 42
Overdate: VF: 8 XF: 16 UNC: 62
The 1972 guide priced this date the lowest of any date in the entire series. Fair enough in low grades, but certainly not in AU+. Many later dates such as 1906 and 1907 are much more common. The overdate is findable, but scarce. Perhaps 1 in 12 coins is an overdate, so the premium is justified, although I'm not sure if the market cares much about varieties.
This date seems to do better in Uncirculated than 1874 for whatever reason. Perhaps type collectors prefer it. 1866's do have sharper more appealing engraving overall than the 1874 and 75. Here's what I've seen for market prices: 30-50 for an MS60-62, 50-80 for a 63, 125-150 for MS 64, 200-350+ for Gem.
Auction Results:
Ebay 10/29/2010 Choice VF $14.99 (WP)
Ebay 4/10/2011 NGC MS 65 $212.39 (WP) - This is my coin, but purchased in 2015 for a pretty well better price!
Ebay 6/12/2011 NGC MS 63 $45.50 - Nice coin for the price!
Ebay 9/13/2012 VF $18 (WP)
Ebay 11/22/2012 VF $5.90 (WP)
Ebay 12/17 2012 Nice Raw UNC, could be as high as 63/64 $33 (WP)
Ebay 1/18/2013 Fine $13.75
Ebay 2/7/2013 VF $14 (WP)
Ebay 6/2/2013 NGC MS 62 $26.77 - Nice for grade!
Ebay 8/2/2013 AU, slight rim damage, $19 (WP)
Ebay 9/29/2013 VG $19.99
Ebay 10/18/2013 XF $14.99
Ebay 2/28/2014 Cleaned XF $14.80
Sedwick 11/6/2014 1866/5 NGC 65 $176.25 - Nice! Cheap!
Ebay Early 2014 NGC MS 65 - I was under-bidder on the other NGC 65 that went for $325
Ebay 12/16/2014 Good $7.58
Ebay 1/8/2015 Cleaned XF $15.88
Ebay 1/27/2015 Fine $2.99
Ebay 2/20/2015 VF $5.21
Heritage 1/1/2015 1866/5 NGC 64 $141
It's a bit shocking how well VF/XF coins do compared to only slightly higher prices for much rarer better grades. Hold out for the better coin!