1914-D $5 MS61 Certification #33764450, PCGS #8528

David Akers (1975/88)

This issue is certainly one of the most under-appreciated issues of the series, the Denver Mint equivalent of the 1911-S. It is very scarce in any Mint State grade and almost all of the known examples are only MS-63 or less. Even in MS-64, the 1914-D is almost never encountered and true gems probably number in the single digits! I have seen a handful of MS-65 specimens over the years but nothing better and it is entirely possible, even likely, that a specimen finer than MS-65 does not exist.

This issue is always well struck and the mintmark, though not particularly well defined, is generally quite bold with considerable relief. The lustre is usually very good (but not "booming" or radiant) and the color is typically orange and greenish gold or sometimes an attractive coppery gold. The surfaces have some granularity but not as much as the 1914 or such other Denver Mint issues as the 1908-D and 1911-D. The "eye appeal" of a high grade (MS-64 or better) specimen is invariably excellent.