1871 25C Standard Silver Quarter PR 66

Description

Spectacular James B. Longacre design, and only twelve known survivors! Longacre was the fourth Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint and is responsible for some of our greatest coin designs, including the $3 gold piece, Indian cent, Flying Eagle cent, and $20 Liberty gold piece. In the late 1860’s and early 1870’s, the Mint experienced with many “pattern” designs…some spectacular beauties…that while gorgeous works of art, apparently were not practical for every day coinage. At the time, one of the things the Mint was trying to figure out was the fluctuating world gold/silver ratio and price. One “solution” they tried was a series of coins they called “Standard Silver”. The design was the words “Standard Silver” on the reverse, coupled with several obverse designs, some of them incredible works of art…like this coin. This is Longacre’s amazing design…Ms. Liberty seated on a globe! And the condition is absolutely spectacular…a Superb Gem Uncirculated, with incredible original Red color. Fortunately, patterns have been well studied for at least 100 years. The rarity of most issues is established. There are twelve known survivors of this issue…and this is one of the finest. This coin came from the great Harry Bass collection. And it’s a great story…that tells a lot about how smart Harry Bass was. Over a 40 plus year period, Harry put together the highest quality collection of U.S. gold coins ever assembled. Like a lot of wealthy collectors with a big long-term vision, Harry got a very knowledgeable dealer (in this case Mike Brownlee RIP) to represent his interests. In return, Mike got to make a little money on Harry’s purchases, and Harry provided big financial backing for Mike to drive his business. And I remember the story well. Harry was ultra focused on his gold coin collection. However, there was a time when Mike bought a really spectacular collection of rare U.S. patterns. When he brought it back to his office and showed it to Harry, Harry decided he also wanted to collect great patterns…HA!!!!! So even though Harry knew that a collection of spectacular quality vintage U.S. rare gold coins was a fabulous long-term investment, he also understood the long-term value of rare…and beautiful…U.S. patterns. And this coin is a great example of the type of rare and beautiful patterns Harry bought. Wait until you see this…it’s a truly rare…important…and really beautiful U.S. coin pattern