NGC 1869 shield nickel deep obverse die cap. The shield nickel is a deep die cap, with the obverse side flattened out, and which was the "striking" side of the coin. The coin's 1869 date is visible on the side of the cap wall, and is shown in the photos below. It has a high cap wall all around the obverse design, and the reverse side shows the flattened but very distinct reverse design.

It is an incredible rarity, and one of just 3 known shield nickel die caps. One of the others is in a museum, making this one of only two examples available to collectors. It is one of the rarest mint error types for the shield nickel series, and is the most dramatic and eye-catching shield nickel error we can recall ever having seen. Most shield nickel errors are minor off-centers, laminations or similar relatively minor errors. A major striking error such as this is rare on this coin series!

MS64 with lustrous surfaces that have light gold toning. A spot on the rim which is not easily noticed, and with otherwise clean surfaces. A beautiful coin.