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1844-O H10C MS65 NGC. Pittman-Stellar. The 1844-O

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1844-O H10C MS65 NGC. Pittman-Stellar. The 1844-O
<B>1844-O H10C MS65 NGC.</B></I> Pittman-Stellar. The 1844-O is a very scarce issue in mint condition and exceptionally so as a Gem. Only one other MS65 has been certified, a PCGS coin, and none are finer (2/05). This is a rather famous coin among Seated half dimes, primarily from the notoriety given it by B. Max Mehl in the Atwater Sale of 1946 and later embellishment by Walter Breen. Mehl cataloged the coin as a, "Brilliant semi-proof, nearly equal to a proof." Breen never actually saw the coin and enhanced Mehl's description, listing it as an "unverified" branch mint proof in his 1977 <I>Encyclopedia.</B></I> The coin has strong prooflike reflectivity in the fields, but no one today would consider this coin as a proof. The striking details are uncommonly strong on the obverse, but the upper left portion of the reverse is noticeably weak on the wreath. The surfaces are deeply toned in shades of rose and blue toning on the obverse, with the reverse a more uniform rose-golden color. Small portions of original mint brilliance are also visible on each side. There are no mentionable marks on either obverse or reverse, just a few light die striations that are responsible for the coin's reflectivity. A very rare opportunity for the half dime specialist.<BR><I>Ex: William C. Atwater (B. Max Mehl, 6/11/46), lot 1193, where it was bought by an astute John Pittman for $15.75; John Pittman I (Akers, 10/97), lot 473, where it brought $16,500.</B></I>