SANTA ANA, CA.- Stack’s Bowers Galleries continue their tradition of presenting world-class rarities at auction by featuring an extremely rare 1884 Proof trade dollar worth as much as $2 million in their March 18-20, 2020 Baltimore Auction.

The 1884 dollar is a legendary U.S. Mint rarity. While the Mint had ended production of circulation-strike trade dollars in 1878, Proof examples were officially distributed in Proof sets through 1883. Additional Proof examples were struck at the beginning of 1884, but were never distributed and all but 10 were eventually melted.

With such small populations, the rarity of these trade dollars rivals or surpasses such numismatic icons as the 1913 Liberty Head nickel (five examples known) and the 1804 dollar (15 examples known). They are more infrequently offered at auction and every appearance is a historic opportunity.

Acquiring one of these trade dollars represents a monumental numismatic prize. At Proof-64+ Cameo (PCGS), the 1884 ranks as the fourth finest certified of the 10 known examples. It first appeared on the market in an ad placed by dealer Edgar Adams in the March 1915 issue of The Numismatist. It has since resided in several significant cabinets, including those of Waldo C. Newcomer, Colonel E.H.R. Green and Amon G. Carter, Jr. It last was offered at auction as lot 440 in Stack’s January 1984 sale of the Carter Family Collection.

“Stack’s Bowers Galleries is the only numismatic firm to have handled every known 1884 trade dollar,” stated Stack’s Bowers President Brian Kendrella. “In fact, we have sold some of them several times over our 85-year history.”

This trade dollar will be offered in Stack’s Bowers Galleries March 2020 presentation of further items from the E. Horatio Morgan Collection, an incredible cabinet of rarities assembled primarily in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The March Baltimore sale marks the third offering from this exceptional collection, with earlier selections featured in the firm’s August 2019 ANA and November 2019 Baltimore auctions. Built with a focus on dimes, half dollars, and select major rarities, highlights from the collection included a Choice Proof 1894-S dime, a Gem 1876-CC twenty cent piece, a Choice Proof 1838-O half dollar, and a nearly-complete set of half dollars by die variety from 1794 through 1836. With the inclusion of this monumental trade dollar, the E. Horatio Morgan Collection has surely secured a place among the most storied collections of United States numismatics.