NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
This item WAS NOT SOLD. Auction date was 2002 Feb 19 @ 09:30UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
Half Dimes 1797 Valentine-2, Rarity-3. PCGS graded Mint State 67. Superb! The Finest Certified. <b>This is the finest known 1797 and carries a gilt-edge provenance that traces to the collection of John Jay Pittman. Not only is it the finest known 1797, but it is the only Mint State 67 graded by PCGS. Pittman's holdings included some of the most astounding, most remarkable specimens of American coinage ever offered, ever seen, many with superb toning as this coin which will be described in full below. When John Pittman's estate was sold by David Akers the auctioneer in 1996 and 1997 the attendance was overwhelming, the prices realized commensurate with the unusual nature of the pieces and their high conditions. The present 1797 half dime has surfaces that are alive with mint frostiness, the surfaces dance and sparkle with mint-imparted vibrancy. Light toning has formed around the margin on both sides, but the surface remains brilliant overall. This variety is always difficult to locate with central detail, the coining press failed to bring the details out in the central obverse and reverse. The Pittman coin, while showing minor weak areas at centers, is, nevertheless, far and above a more typical Uncirculated specimen. (And there are very few Uncirculated specimens, let us emphasize the fact.) As a Type, the small eagle half dime was struck in only two years, 1796 and 1797. It is among the most difficult series to locate in any condition since mintage was low, few were saved, and the chance offering of an Uncirculated specimen is simply that: chance. To view a coin from this period whose whole fabric exudes superb gem originality defies the imagination. Where was this coin all these years? How did Mr. Pittman manage to acquire it in such blemish-free condition! Obvious to all, it did survive somehow, and it remains the only Mint State 67 ever graded by third-party services. George Washington was still President when this coin was made, finishing his second term of office (he would live only two years longer, dying on December 24, 1799). At the time, the country was launched but the economy was still on shaky ground. Travel was by slow horse cart and sailing ship, business transactions involved a variety of local state and federal coinage, foreign coins, many of them worn or "clipped". This tiny coin somehow managed to escape the ravages of time. It survives in such superb condition thanks to a few farsighted collectors who protected it over the two centuries of its existence. We are pleased to offer the coin as one of the landmarks of the sale, a coin certain to be a highlight of whatever collection it graces. Early die state.</b> John J. Pittman Collection (Noted on PCGS holder.); we offered this specimen in our February 1999 sale as lot 552 where it sold for $89,125. <p align="center">Superior Galleries was founded in 1929 and has been a leader in
the numismatic auction business since 1971.</p> <p align="center"><b>Consignments wanted for June 2 & 3, 2002 Pre-Long Beach Sale.</b></p> <p align="center"><b>Call Steve Deeds</b> at (800) 421-0754 ext 230.</p>
Auction Location:
United States
Previewing Details:
2/11-2/15 from 9am-5:30pm by appointment only; 2/16-2/17 from 9am-5:30pm no appointment necessary
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
No Info Available
Payment Details:
No Info Available