$5 Capped Bust Gold, Proof

Until the last few years, these spectacular rarities were nearly all locked away in a few major collections. The remaining coins are permanently impounded in Smithsonian National Numismatic collection. Most of the early Proof gold coins in the Smithsonian were originally in US Mint collection which began in the 1830’s. The near unavailability of the coins in the past have kept these spectacular rarities under the radar of most numismatists. That began to change in last couple of years with the sale of the Harry W. Bass collection and the discovery of one or two others.