Certified Cameo Percentage: 7.1%
Certified Deep Cameo Percentage: 0.1%

In addition to the 1885, the 1886 is really the only other “premium” Proof date in the Liberty Nickel series. This is of course due to the low business strike mintage for these two years, and Proofs present a less expensive alternative to those date collectors searching for a high-grade piece for their sets. For even though circulation strike mintage was low, the Proof mintages in the mid and late 1880s were higher than most all years after 1889 with the exception of 1909.

Like the 1885, the two most frequently encountered grades are PR-64 and 65, but PR-66’s and 67’s are around in sufficient quantity to satisfy most collector demand. Above PR-67 though is nearly impossible. Cameos and Deep Cameos are also tougher on the 1886 than the 1885 with Cameos accounting for only around 7% of the total and Deep/Ultras are extremely rare.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the August 2019 Rosemont ANA Auction, where it realized $8,400.