10C 1883 HAWAIIN PCGS PR66 EX FORSYTHE

WOW, what a coin! This totally SUPERB ORIGINAL GEM is Ex Forsythe Collection. It is the HI equivalent of a 1894S 10C. This is the first we have ever seen or handled one of these!

Medcalf-Russell 2CS-1. We are going to use the catalog description from the Forsythe sale as it is as fully educational as can be: Nicely toned on both sides with delicate shades of original color which include warm golds to amber deep trending into red, along with subtle antique grays blending effortlessly across the surface into iridescent silvery and blue. (The companion Proof 66 to this dime in the accompanying Lot has toning at the edge but not suffused throughout the field on either side like this specimen.)

An apt term for the surface would be “resplendent fields,” since the fields below the toning are as smooth, level to perfection, and gleaming with reflectivity as when first struck. Probably a good many Hawaiian coins are no longer as carefully preserved as this magnificent Proof piece, with no suggestion or even a whisper of weakness at the King’s side burn, hair curls, or mutton-chop beard. Even under strong magnification, the detail delights the connoisseur’s eye.

The Hawaiian Dime, unlike its larger cousins, skips the royal emblem on the reverse and is instead modeled along the lines of the U.S. Seated Liberty dimes of the day, with an open wreath in which is placed the denomination. A small royal crown above. The national motto which surrounds was adopted in the 1840s for the Kingdom of Hawaii and carried over into the 20th Century as the official Hawaii State motto when Hawaii became the 50th State in the Union in 1959.

Proofs were struck at the Philadelphia Mint along with the other 1883 Kalakaua Proof coinage, from dies made under the stewardship of Charles E. Barber, chief engraver of the Mint. These, like the quarter dollar, half dollar, and silver dollar use the standard weight and fineness of American coins. U.S. coins were legal tender in the Hawaiian Islands from an early period. An impressive rarity in the Hawaiian series. This splendid coin is one of only 26 Proofs struck. More to the point, the dime is the second rarest of all Hawaiian Proof denominations as a business strike and the present example ranks at the top among the few Proof examples available to collectors in the 21st century. It is significant that this is tied with two others as finest certified PCGS and that PCGS has assigned no grade higher than Proof-66.

These was another 10C with wild colors offered at the auction-that sold to a dealer for his personal collection for $34,500.00. In years to come, the prices realized at the Forsythe sale will be cheap. This certainly is one denomination in PROOF we NEVER EVER see! Opportunity can’t know any louder here!

For a sneak peek visit PCGS cert verification: 24188862. NOTE: the image does NOT do the coin any justice!