NNP

1866 5C Five Cents, Judd-461, Pollock-535, R.6, PR65 NGC. CAC. Design. A bust of George Washington faces right on the obverse, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds, and the date is below. The reverse features the denomination 5 CENTS within a laurel wreath with IN GOD WE TRUST above. Struck in nickel with a plain edge. Commentary. Washington patterns were a popular Mint product in the mid-1860s. This is one of the more available patterns, with perhaps three dozen known survivors. The base of an errant 1 is visible to the left of the date on all examples seen of this issue. An early auction appearance was in the Idler Collection (Haseltine, 4/1870), lot 233. Idler was one of the main outlets for the sale of numismatic delicacies from the Mint. Physical Description. The nickel retains its original brightness over each side. Slight porosity is seen in the fields, a trait often seen on early nickel patterns as well as early Shield nickels. Nevertheless, the fields are bright and exhibit moderate reflectivity with slight contrast against the softly frosted devices. The strike is remarkably strong for a nickel pattern with just the slightest high-point softness seen on Washington's hair. A tiny triangular-shaped planchet chip is seen on the upper reverse to the left of the upper part of the first T in TRUST. Each side is mostly brilliant with just a hint of pale golden patina. Provenance. "Colonel" E.H.R. Green; Green Estate; Partnership of Eric P. Newman / B.G. Johnson d.b.a. St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.; Eric P. Newman @ $17.50; Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society. From The Eric P. Newman Collection.

From Newman I (Heritage Auctions, 4/2013), lot 3953, realized $3290.00. Image and description courtesy of Heritage Auctions, https://ha.com.