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***Auction Highlight*** 1861-o W0-1 Civil War Issue Seated Half Dollar 50c Graded Select Unc By USCG

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:426.25 - 1,705.00 USD
***Auction Highlight*** 1861-o W0-1 Civil War Issue Seated Half Dollar 50c Graded Select Unc By USCG
***Auction Highlight*** 1861-o W0-1 Civil War Issue Semi PL Struck Days Before the mint was seized Seated Half Dollar 50c Graded Select Unc By USCG. Up for auction is one of the scarcest of the 1861-o Varieties, the W-01 Variety which was struck days before the mint was seized by the state of Louisiana. Quoting from the Bugert book, “On January 31, 1861, the State of Louisiana seized the U.S. Branch Mint in New Orleans, LA and operated it until the last of February 1861 when it was turned over to the Confederacy. The Mint staff swore allegiance to the Confederacy and continued to operate it. In April 1861, C.G. Memminger, the Secretary of the Confederate Treasury, requested designs for Confederate half dollar coins. Among those designs sent to him and finally approved was an obverse design the same as the regular issue and a reverse design having a shield with seven stars, representing the seven original Sates that succeeded from the Union. The Confederate- operated New Orleans Branch Mint closed on April 30, 1861 when the Secretary of the Treasury suspended operations as all resources were compelled to support the war. The 4 true confederate half dollars that were struck are now known as the W-12, and is the rarest of the 1861-o halves, of the 15 varieties Bugert identifies, the third rarest is the w-01. With a rarity level of 6.( Even higher than the 2nd rarest, must have less survivors) WOW! The USA only controlled the mint for less than a month, and used two die pairings during that period. This was the second and last Die pairing made by the USA in 1861. A true Find. Just for reference, the USA in 1861 produced 330k halves, Louisiana 1,240,000 and the CSA 962,633. PCGS estimates that only 2500 1861-o Half Dollars survive in all grades, in all varieties and that less than 150 of the w-01 survive today! A Corey's Pick, Bid to Win Coin