1915 $2.50 AU55 Certification #28412678, PCGS #7948

David Akers (1975/88)

Except for the relatively common 1908, the 1915 is the most common of the early issues in all Mint State grades. It is not too hard to find in MS-63 or less but MS-64 examples are certainly not available all that often. In MS-65 or better condition, the 1915 is definitely rare, although I have seen more gems of this date than I have of 1912, 1913 or 1914. A few superb pieces exist, including several nearly perfect ones, but better than MS-65, this issue is clearly a major rarity.

The 1915 is typically well struck with lustre that is about average for the series (I have seen some radiant examples of the 1915 and some subdued ones but most have good lustre.) Some specimens show a little granularity to the surfaces but it is less pronounced than it is on most early issues. Color is generally good, usually a light to medium yellow gold, often with some coppery highlights.