Collector Seeks 1887 $3 Proof Gold

Set completion is a timeless urge among collectors, as demonstrated by an 1888 letter to the U.S. Mint, recently digitized and transcribed by Newman Portal. The 1888 inquiry to Daniel Fox, Superintendent of the Philadelphia Mint, asks if the 1887 $3 proof gold piece is available, the collection The 1887 $3 proof is one of the more curious pieces in the U.S. proof gold series. John Dannreuther's recently published work on U.S. proof gold describes no less than four variants, all struck from the same dies: (1) normal die alignment, (2) medal alignment, (3) normal die alignment struck over medal alignment, and (4) dies rotated with 160 degrees clockwise rotation. An example of (3), vividly depicting the overstrike, is illustrated here courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Image: Letter to Daniel Fox, December 11, 1888, asking about 1887 $3 proof gold.

Image: 1887 $3 NGC PR65 Cameo, ex. Heritage Auctions 1/2015, lot 4268, realized $29,375.

Link to request for 1887 $3 proof gold piece:
https://archive.org/details/wants1887threedolproof18881211