1887 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. MS-64 (PCGS). OGH--First Generation.

1887 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. MS-64 (PCGS). OGH--First Generation.，This is a gorgeous example of the key date 1887 three-dollar gold issue. Vivid rose-orange patina blankets both sides and the finish is predominantly satiny but with appreciable reflectivity evident in the fields. It is boldly to sharply struck throughout with surfaces that nearly warrant a full Gem rating. The 1887, with a mintage of 6,000 pieces, is among the low mintage circulation strikes that comprise the final decade of this series. Thanks to the activities of the Chapman brothers and other contemporary numismatists and speculators, an appreciable number of these have survived, some later retrieved from bank reserves after acquiring light wear. Even so, the 1887 is actually one of the scarcest three-dollar gold issues, so it seems likely that the vast majority of the mintage never left the Mint in the first place. With most pieces presumably melted as undistributed, survivors are scarce to rare in all grades. Among the finest Mint State examples that we have offered in recent memory, this delightful piece will be just right for an advanced cabinet.，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier from Heritages Fort Worth ANA Signature Auction of March 2010, lot 2239; via T & J Collectables.，