US Coins

The difference a plus sign makes: MS-66+ 1925-D 5-cent brings $34,075 at Legend

An unusually sharply struck 1925-D Indian Head 5-cent piece graded MS-66+ with a green CAC sticker is the finest-certified at PCGS and realized $34,075 on May 14.

Image courtesy of Legend Auctions

 In Legend Rare Coin Auctions’ May 14 Regency Auction 38, Legend offered a Professional Coin Grading Service Mint State 66+ 1925-D Indian Head 5-cent piece with a green Certified Acceptance Corp. sticker that sits alone on top of the PCGS Population Report.

The issue is, along with the 1927-D 5-cent coin, a key Denver Mint issue, and while PCGS has graded 13 in MS-66 — one of which sold for $8,100 at Heritage’s recent Central States Numismatic Society auction (moved to Dallas) — this MS-66+ example is the finest-certified and sold within its $30,000 to $35,000 estimate, realizing $34,075. It illustrates the issue on the PCGS CoinFacts site.

Legend’s cataloger writes, “A rich, satiny mint frost blooms and glows throughout the seductively clean, pristine quality surfaces,” adding, “A faint trace of pale blue iridescent toning accents the smoothness of the fields and the sharpness of the strike.” The 1925-D Indian Head 5-cent coin is notorious for a weak strike, but the offered “nickel” was an appealing exception, with boldly defined details on both sides including a full horn and tail on the reverse bison.

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