5584

1853/2 $20 AU55 NGC. Breen-7162. The present writer be

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1,300.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1853/2 $20 AU55 NGC. Breen-7162. The present writer be
<B>1853/2<$20> AU55 NGC.</B></I> Breen-7162. The present writer believes that this is a legitimate overdate variety, but there are others who feel differently. In his <I>Complete Encyclopedia,</B></I> Walter Breen claimed credit for his own January 1959 discovery of this variety. He provided a detailed description of the overdate features: "Lower left quarter of 2 between lower knob, cusp, and lower inner right curve of 3. Part of differently shaped 5 (from 1852 logotype) overlapped by 5 of 1853." Doug Winter and Adam Crum agree with the overdate determination: "The 1853/2 is the only recognized overdate in the Liberty Head double eagle series. It was not discovered until the late 1950s and did not really begin to receive publicity until the early 1980s. It remains an underappreciated variety but collectors are finely beginning to realize its significance and rarity." Additional comments about this variety appear in <I>The Cherrypickers' Guide</B></I> by Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton: "Some collectors still do not recognize this as an overdate, but research has supported it as such, and this variety is listed in the <I>Red Book.</B></I>"<BR> Opposing views are held by Dave Bowers and David Akers. In his 1982 auction analysis of double eagles, Akers said: "One variety is called an overdate, 1853/2. To be sure there is something 'under' the 3 in the date but whether or not it is really a 2 or just a recut 3 is difficult, if not impossible, to tell for sure. Dave Bowers also commented regarding this variety: "One variety of 1853 has been described as an overdate, but the writer considers it not to be such and not even a close call."<BR> The physical coin is sharply struck with strong design details on each side. It has frosty yellow-gold luster with wispy orange color on each side, and just a trace of wear on the highest design points. Although a few faint hairlines are evident, the surfaces are