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1854
Variety 111
Obverse 11: Proof Die, Closed 54
Reverse K: Proof Die
Obverse 11 Reverse K
Comments: Bowers and Merena graded the Eliasberg 1854 With Arrows proof dime as Proof 66 during their historic May 1996 sale. They noted a small die defect at Star 6. The Eliasberg specimen (as illustrated above) currently resides in the Eugene H. Gardner collection and is graded PCGS PF65. Close inspection of Eugene Gardner's high resolution images reveals few die markers for identification of the 1854 With Arrows proof dies.
During the 2007 Milwaukee ANA Convention, Heritage offered an 1854 With Arrows proof dime from the Kaufman collection. Following is their commentary;
1854 10C Arrows Dime PR66 Cameo NGC. Ex: P. Kaufman. In addition to its status as the only Premium Gem to receive the Cameo designation from NGC, the Kaufman proof 1854 dime may be the finest surviving example of this issue. Walter Breen recorded eight different proofs in his 1977 Proof Encyclopedia, noting that he had seen a few others. David Akers wrote in the Pittman catalog that 30 to 35 may have been struck, but only 10 to 12 pieces have survived. Even though an exact population of proofs is not confirmed, this issue is clearly rarer than the 1854 half dime. The lower number of pieces known today may indicate that some proofs sets were issued by the Mint with business strike dimes. In later years, it is known that some sets consisted of a mixture of proofs and business strikes.
At the Mint, James Ross Snowden took the helm during the previous year, with 1854 representing his first full year in charge. Perhaps it is Snowden who deserves the credit for increased proof mintage. In the Eliasberg catalog, Dave Bowers called Snowden "the most numismatically interested person to hold the position up to that time."
Like the half dime, every digit touches the base of Liberty, and the arrowheads are large, joining the base and the border on each side of the date. Faint die lines extend vertically through the date and arrowheads from the border to the base. The shield point is over the left upright of the 1 and the skirt pendant is slightly left of center over the 5. The 5 and 4 are joined. Several reverse letters have tiny raised defects on their top surface.
1854 With Arrows NGC PF66 Cameo - Kaufman
A fully brilliant proof, the surfaces have faint champagne color over silver-white surfaces. Faint hairlines are present in the fields, but the devices are pristine and nearly perfect. Every design feature is crisp, including a full wire edge around the entire circumference on both sides. The Phil Kaufman Collection of Early Proof Sets, Part One.
1854 With Arrows PCGS PF65 Cameo
Stack's Bowers Lot 11313 - August 2012 ANA Sale
Another noteworthy 1854 With Arrows proof dime crossed the auction block at the Stack's Bowers August 2012 ANA sale. The auction catolog presented the above proof dime with the following description;
Warm champagne-gold surfaces exhibit frosty and sharply rendered design elements that sit comfortably against a reflective mirror backdrop. From an unknown but presumably small Proof mintage for the date, perhaps on the order of just 15 to 20 pieces or so; the PCGS website suggests just eight to 10 Proofs of the date are currently known. Of the known pieces, the present Gem must surely rank high in the Condition Census for Proofs of the date, both certified and non-certified.
Plate Coin: Courtesy Eugene H. Gardner Collection, PCGS PF65 Eliasberg