59

1848 Half Cent. B-2. Rarity-6-. First Restrike. Proof-66 BN (NGC).

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:7,500.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1848 Half Cent. B-2. Rarity-6-. First Restrike. Proof-66 BN (NGC).
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lot #59. 1848 Half Cent. B-2. Rarity-6-. First Restrike. Proof-66 BN (NGC).</span>
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Small berries in the wreath and doubling on the T in CENT confirm the reverse die and, hence, the B-2 attribution. This reverse die was first used to strike original proof Half Cents dated 1856, which means that this restrike 1848 could not have been prepared prior to that year. Original proofs dated 1857 also feature this die, as do some of the restrikes of the 1840-1849 and 1852 issues. According to Walter Breen (<em>Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of United States Half Cents: 1793-1857</em>, 1983), the latest use of this die came with the production of some restrike proof 1848s of the B-2 die marriage. Those pieces were struck on lightweight planchets and display bold knife rims on both sides.
The NGC insert does not provide a weight for this coin, so we cannot determine whether or not it was struck on a lightweight planchet. Despite being mounted in a holder, however, both sides readily reveal bold knife rims. As such, we feel confident attributing this piece as one of the final proof Half Cents struck from the Doubled T reverse die. Determining an exact striking period is more problematic, but we offer the years 1858-1860 as a tentative answer to this riddle. (Interestingly, Walter Breen (1983) seems to suggest that these pieces were struck <em>after</em> 1860, but his statements are not conclusive in this matter.) Our theory is based on several suppositions, one of which is that the end of the regular-issue Half Cent series in 1857 could have created a sudden increase in collector demand for specimen strikings of the now-defunct denomination. Additionally, many restrikes in other U.S. coin series are known to have been produced during the final years of the 1850s during the tenture of Colonel James Ross Snowden as mint director. Examples include proof 1856 Flying Eagle Cents of the Snow-9 die marriage, certain proof 1851 and 1852 Seated Dollars and possibly proof Seated Dollars of other dates from 1840-1849. With such activity already taking place in the Mint, it would have been easy for employees to add the production of some proof 1848 Half Cents to their list of daily activities during those years.
This is a pretty coin with full originality, the surfaces predominantly toned in blended medium-brown and gray-brown shades. Direct angles do reveal some faded orange-red color at the rims, but not enough to warrant an RB designation. Most areas are fully struck, but the dies appear to have been spaced too far apart in the press with the result that the highpoints of Liberty's portrait, the upper-right reverse wreath and the letters in the denomination HALF CENT are softly defined. As such, this coin appears to have been made in considerable haste--a curious phenomenon for a proof, although one that is more understandable (and, hence, forgiveable) for a restrike than it would be for an original. There is not a single distracting blemish, but a loupe does reveal a group of extremely small contact marks in the reverse field below the letters RI in AMERICA that should serve as a useful pedigree marker. A very rare coin, and a piece that belongs in the finest specialized collection.
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<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1" id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates"
style="background-color: White; border-color: #9A3C35; border-width: 1px; border-style: Solid;
width: 350px; border-collapse: collapse;">
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Shipping Rates (Within the United States)</div>
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<tr class="AuctionTitleDetail" style="background-color: E0CA7A;">
<td class="AuctionListingsHeadings" valign="top" style="height: 20px; white-space: nowrap;">
Purchase Amount
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<td class="AuctionListingsHeadings" align="right" valign="top" style="width: 75%;">
Postage And Insurance
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</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl02_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$0.00 to
$200.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl02_PostageAmountTemplate">$6.50</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl03_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$201.00
to $300.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl03_PostageAmountTemplate">$9.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl04_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$301.00
to $1,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl04_PostageAmountTemplate">$10.50</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl05_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$1,001.00
to $2,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl05_PostageAmountTemplate">$13.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl06_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$2,001.00
to $3,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl06_PostageAmountTemplate">$17.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl07_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$3,001.00
to $5,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl07_PostageAmountTemplate">$18.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl08_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$5,001.00
to $10,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl08_PostageAmountTemplate">$23.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl09_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$10,001.00
to $25,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl09_PostageAmountTemplate">$27.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl10_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$25,001.00
to $50,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl10_PostageAmountTemplate">$42.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl11_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$50,001.00
to $75,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl11_PostageAmountTemplate">$55.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl12_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$75,001.00
to $100,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl12_PostageAmountTemplate">$70.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl13_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$100,001.00
to $250,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl13_PostageAmountTemplate">$100.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl14_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$250,001.00
to $500,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl14_PostageAmountTemplate">$175.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl15_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$500,001.00
to $750,000.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl15_PostageAmountTemplate">$250.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="LotDetailInformation">
<td class="AuctionListings" valign="top" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl16_PurchaseAmountTemplate">$750,001.00
to $99,999,999.00</span>
</td>
<td class="AuctionListings" align="right" valign="top">
<span id="ctl00_cntBody_FAQ1_grdShippingRates_ctl16_PostageAmountTemplate">$400.00</span>
</td>
</tr>
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<b>Shipping to clients outside the United States will be charged at cost, plus handling.
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their full invoice value. </b>




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<b><a name="About"></a>About Bowers and Merena</b>

Bowers and Merena Auctions was founded in 1983 and has grown to become the world's
preeminent numismatic auctioneer with more than half a billion dollars in rare coin
and currency sales. Bowers and Merena has handled four of the five most valuable
United States coin collections ever sold, including the Louis E. Eliasberg Sr. Collection,
the Harry W. Bass Jr. Collection, the Garrett Collection for The Johns Hopkins University,
and the Norweb Collection. </p>
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