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1856 50C PR65 Cameo NGC. The Breen proof Encyclopedia

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:110.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1856 50C PR65 Cameo NGC. The Breen proof Encyclopedia
<B>1856<50C> PR65 Cameo NGC.</B></I> The Breen proof <I>Encyclopedia</B></I> aptly describes this piece as follows: "Beistle 2-A. Upright 5. Centered date, foot supported, toe enclosed, full drapery. Rev. Center red stripe not clearly joined to base of shield. Some have top of first red stripe hollow--different die? ... Possibly the rarest denomination of the year." Proof coinage before 1858 is especially rare, as the U.S. Mint did not prominently begin advertising proof coins for sale to the general public until that year. While the Wiley-Bugert Seated Liberty half reference says "less than 25 known" for the 1856 and 1857 proof half dollars, for the 1858 it says "80-400 known." This example does show hollowness at the top of the leftmost trio of vertical shield stripes. The knob of the 5 in the date touches the upright. The current NGC and PCGS online data show each service has recorded 17 proofs in all grades, of course including resubmissions, crossovers, and undying optimism. Cameo proofs are rarer still, with a total of seven coins at both services. This lovely Gem proof offers rims of amber-gold, a bit more prominent on the obverse than the reverse, with nicely frosted devices and brilliant, distraction-free fields. Census: 1 in 65 Cameo, 1 finer (7/06).