Beschreibung:

CAC Sticker. A light golden example, free of spotting and any noteworthy marks. Fully struck, save for the center of the reverse which shows traces of die rust (as struck). According to the current Guide Book, only 600+ proofs were struck for this first year type. This is a coin that was produced at a time when the Mint was desperately trying to catch up with the huge demand for small coinage after the Civil War. The use of nickel instead of unavailable silver (which was being hoarded at the time) was the decision rendered by the powers that be. James B. Longacre quickly designed the new coin and had patterns struck for various congressmen. Upon striking only a few coins, the dies were found to crack, partially due to the hardness of the metal. Longacre determined that the rays on the reverse were a contributing factor to this rapid die deterioration, and so eliminated them after only a small number were struck in 1866-67. The proofs of this type are well known for their rarity. (PCGS 3817)