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[L#0199] 1837 No Stars 5c NGC MS67

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:12,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 25,000.00 USD
[L#0199] 1837 No Stars 5c NGC MS67
There isn't a single mushy letter on the surfaces of this well struck early Liberty Seated half dime, in fact, the devices, too, are resounding in boldness. The color is natural silvery under a light bathing of toning from its years, no doubt, in an elite collection of early U.S. silver coins. Downright phenomenal in this grade, the no stars obverse features Liberty seated in a plain field, giving an effect of a cameo jewel without the usual clutter of the mandatory 13 stars that prevail on most 19th century American coins. (Encapsulated by NGC, the serial number 377463-003 can be used as a future tracking number.)

During the latter half of the 1830s Mint officials decided to spruce up the nation's silver coinage. They selected Christian Gobrecht to redesign the half dime, among other pieces, for which he created his now-famous rendition of an allegorical Liberty seated on a rocky foundation; in one hand she supports a shield, while in her other, a pole with liberty cap dangling from the end. Gobrecht's motif first appeared on Silver Dollars of 1836. Dimes and Half Dimes followed in 1837, with stars added in 1838. But then the heavy hand of mediocrity came down like a leaden weight upon a lovely rose; for no good reason, the mint told Robert Ball Hughes to remodel Gobrecht's delicately draped Liberty. This he did. The results were, shall we say, less than earth-shaking? Consequently, top grade No Drapery Dimes and Half Dimes featuring Gobrecht's original plan are few and far between as they were minted only from 1837 to 1840.