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

2871

1818 50C PR66 NGC

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:110,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1818 50C PR66 NGC
<B>1818 50C PR66 NGC.</B></I> Ex: Eliasberg. O-113, R.7 as a proof. Walter Breen lists only six proof half dollars from 1818, four of this variety and two overdates. Not all those pieces were examined by Breen, and in all likelihood, several of those six pieces were prooflike business strikes. Which means, of course, that this date is even rarer than previously thought. This piece has been accepted as one of the few legitimate proofs since 1912, when Henry Chapman described it as: "Wide date. Proof. Short hairline scratch at throat. Sharp, even impression. Excessively rare." This hairline scratch is very faint, but when angled just so can be seen (magnification helps also). What is perhaps the most striking aspect on this coin is the incredible detail that was captured by the screw press that struck it. Fully struck in all areas except one, only star 13 shows any sign of weakness. The fields are also very deeply mirrored, but this is not immediately apparent as each side is so deeply patinated with multiple layerings of gray, rose, and golden toning with lavender around the margins. This is a wondrous example of an early proof Bust half, and as stated in the Eliasberg catalog, "Very few equals exist anywhere in the early American silver series." The reserve for this lot is $85,750.<BR><I>Ex: George H. Earle Collection (Henry Chapman, 6/25-29/12, lot 2888, where it brought $5.75; John H. Clapp; Clapp Estate to Louis Eliasberg, Sr.; Eliasberg Collection (4/97), lot 1756.</B></I> <BR><BR><B>Coin Engraver:</B> John Reich<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
Sign In to Bookmark Lot