LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 February Long Beach Signature Coin #460  / 

2536

1857-O $5 MS63 PCGS

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:42,500.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1857-O $5 MS63 PCGS
<B>1857-O $5 MS63 PCGS.</B></I> Ex: Ashland City. This is the finest certified 1857-O half eagle, the finest currently known, and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. It is the only one certified MS63 at PCGS, with none finer, and there are none its equal at NGC (1/08). It was unlisted in Douglas Winter's 1992 reference on the series, and in his 2006 revision it is listed as the finest known by two grade points. <I>Winter specifically cites this coin as the "undisputed finest known example." </B></I><BR> The New Orleans Mint half eagles of the 1850s are historic and numismatically significant pieces in their own right. The 1857-O was the last O-mint half eagle minted before the Civil War, the last produced for some 35 years until the 1892-O.<BR> This is truly an exceptional coin. The surfaces are softly frosted, with a faint glimmer of reflectivity in the fields. The devices are sharply struck, with all star centrils full and the beaded hair cord complete. A touch of softness appears on the upper hair bun and below the coronet, and on the reverse there is a bit of softness on the eagle's right (facing) claw and on the arrow fletchings. The central shield and wing feather details are extremely well delineated. The second vertical stripe in the first pair is broken, a die diagnostic of the issue. Each side has taken on a rich accent of golden-orange patina. The surfaces are remarkably clean for a coin of this grade. A thin, straight scrape runs from behind Liberty's eye downward to her chin, useful for pedigree purposes. A memorable coin, and a must-have for Registry Set collectors or those desiring a historic high-grade example of New Orleans gold.<BR><I>Ex: Ashland City Collection (Heritage, 1/2003), lot 4800, which brought $40,250; Delaware Valley Rare Coins.</B></I><BR><BR><B>Coin Engraver:</B> Christian Gobrecht<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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