LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 Jan. FUN Signature Coin Auction #454  / 

2740

1792 H10C Half Disme, Judd-7, Pollock-7, R.4,

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:90,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1792 H10C Half Disme, Judd-7, Pollock-7, R.4,
<B>1792 H10C Half Disme, Judd-7, Pollock-7, R.4, XF45 PCGS.</B></I> "Historical truth is fragile; historical error is all but immortal." Carl R. Herkowitz and Joel J. Orosz wrote those words in their noteworthy article, "George Washington and America's 'Small Beginning' in Coinage: The Fabled 1792 Half Dismes," published in <I>American Journal of Numismatics 15</B></I>. Few issues have the aura of overwhelming history provided by the 1792 half disme, a cocoon of interwoven myth and fact that has built up over the centuries.<BR> Among the questionable stories that have surrounded the 1792 half disme issue is the nature of the silver used to make the coins. Traditional numismatic lore told decades of numismatists that President Washington used his tableware as bullion, though this is a half-truth. The term "silver plate," used in one contemporary document to describe simple bullion, led to the reasonable but inaccurate characterization of Washington's deposit as "tableware." Interestingly enough, what may seem like a falsehood, that Washington himself supplied the silver for the half disme coinage, has more favorable evidence behind it than many other long-held suppositions about the nation's early money.<BR> Like the vast majority of 1792 half dismes, the piece offered here went into circulation, though this example stayed only briefly. The portrait offers pleasing definition, though the eagle displays a touch of the usual softness on the breast. The silver-gray and slate-blue surfaces are luminous with faint golden-tan accents that enliven the fields. Light adjustment marks appear at the left obverse and a few minor planchet flaws are present at the lower reverse, but the coin displays beautifully. This remarkable half disme would make an elegant addition to any collection. Population: 3 in 45, 37 finer (11/07).<BR><I>From The Casa Becca del Norté Collection.</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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