Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 34

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

Half Dimes

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 614		1794 Flowing Hair Half Dime. PCGS graded MS-65. Awesome! A pristine gem with gorgeous natural brilliant toning on each side. Completely free from adjustment marks and other defects. Pop 7; None finer for the variety. Slightly reflective surfaces and a candidate for "finest known". The V-1, LM-1 is the rarest of the four known die marriages of this first half dime issue. Stars 8 and 12 are boldly recut, as is the upright of the T in UNITED, but the most easily discernible diagnostic are the two berries under the eagle's left (facing) wing. Robert Scot's Flowing Hair half dime is similar in overall design to his half and silver dollar from the same year. Actually struck in early 1795, the 1794 half dime is approximately ten times scarcer than the 1795 half dimes which were also struck in the same calendar year. Of course, many of the known high grade Mint State 1794 and 1795 half dimes are from the Wadsworth-Rea hoard, but these pieces are generally of lesser quality than this exceptional coin. Rich olive, gray, and rose colored toning is seen over each side with strong underlying mint luster. There are no abrasions apparent on either side of this immaculate coin. The only technical flaw we see is irregular striking definition on the devices. Undoubtedly the finest V-1 known (PCGS # 4250) . Estimated Value $70,000 - 75,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 615		1795 Flowing Hair Half Dime. PCGS graded AU-58 PQ. Lovely gold and blue toning. Valentine-2 is quickly identified by the slender but prominent straight crack from 12:30 through the R in LIBERTY that travels most of the way across Liberty's hair. This handsome representative has distinctive toning, sharp stars on the right and mostly sharp stars on the left, with a weak area (as made) from the first star to the 1 in the date. Centers are also lightly struck in keeping with the times. There is a distinctive second teardrop shaped dot below the center dot on the neck. The eagle's eye, mouth, and nasal opening are sharp but some moderate weakness occurs on the left wing and body. However, all legends are clearly defined on this splendid AU58 example (PCGS # 4251) . Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $12,650
Lot 616		1795. PCGS graded AU-58 PQ. Well struck and untoned. Should be resent for mint state grade. This handsome flowing hair half dime is distinguished by its rim break above TY and the nearby star, plus there is a hair-thin die crack down from the base of the T to Liberty's eyebrow. Lustrous with only a faint trace of wear on the eyebrow, tops of the hair waves, and lower shoulder. There are several small marks in the hair and crossing the cheek and neck, but nothing of a nature that should change your mind about bidding. The obverse stars are mostly thin and tiny, as though they weren't impressed deeply into the die. Scarce (PCGS # 4251) . Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $9,315
Lot 617		1795. PCGS graded EF-45. Nicely toned on both sides, with pleasing details for the grade in spite of a few old hairline scratches on the face and in the fields. Perfect for a circulated type set. Pop 25. (PCGS # 4251) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,888
Lot 618		1796 Draped Bust Half Dime. "LIKERTY" error. PCGS graded MS-62. Well struck with lovely green, rose and blue toning. What a delightful example of the first year draped bust half dime with its distinctive and petite small eagle reverse! The colors shimmer with iridescence; the devices show the full stroke from the dies in the crisp hair and drapery along with hair ribbon on Liberty. The reverse eagle is outstanding in its depth of detail as well. A very scarce type made even more desirable by being in outstanding condition as well! Pop 1, 2 in 63, 1 in 64. Although only two die varieties are known of the 1796 half dime, the Guide Book continues to list three different entries for the date, including the Normal Date, the Overdate, and the LIKERTY variety. This latter issue is merely a die state of the Normal Date variety. John McCloskey and the late Russ Logan, authors of the current half dime reference, made no mention of the LIKERTY die state. This example is a later die state with several obverse and reverse cracks (PCGS # 94254) . Estimated Value $25,000 - 35,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $48,300
Lot 619		1796 Draped Bust Half Dime. "LIKERTY" error. PCGS graded VF-30. A most pleasing example, well struck with mottled bluish-grey toning. Free of clash marks and planchet flaws. Just the ticket for a collector seeking one of the elusive draped bust, small eagle Type half dimes. This design was in vogue in only two years, 1796 and 1797. When Jim Ruddy was assembling the coins to photograph for his standard grading guide "Photograde" he discovererd that this draped bust, small eagle coin was the most difficult one to locate in all the grades he required from About Good to About Uncirculated. That was 35 years ago or more. If anything, he'd have an even more difficult time of it today! (PCGS # 94254) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 620		1797 Draped Bust Half Dime. 16 stars. PCGS graded VF-25. A nice clean strike with far fewer clash marks and tiny hairlines than usually seen for this date. Uniform medium antique grey toning with splendid originality throughout. It has never been cleaned. The devices are about as expected, with some areas nicely detailed and others flat or weak from an inconsistent blow by the dies (typical for the small eagle half dimes) (PCGS # 4259) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 621		1800. NGC graded EF-40. Nice even toning on both sides with choice underlying surfaces and grand eye appeal. This is Valentine-1 which has normal lettering in LIBERTY but the 8 of the date consists of overlapping circles. Some 14,000 went on March 25 of that year to the Bank of Philadelphia, according to records; the other 10,000 the next day to one William Cooper. A couple of dozen survive in Mint condition, but generally EF is a very desirable grade to find (PCGS # 4264) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,565
Lot 622		1800. NGC graded VF-35. Deep steel and russet brown toned. Very close ot EF condition. Somewhat unevenly struck as seen on most draped bust, heraldic half dimes, with the stars flat, the lower drapery melded into the bust, and rim denticles fading out in the area from 3 o'clock to about 8 o'clock. For its part, the reverse has some weakness above the eagle (associated with the high point of the obverse, there was insufficient metal flowing into the deeper die recesses in this area). Again, pleasing original "old silver" color throughout the reverse (PCGS # 4264) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 623		1800 Draped Bust Half Dime. "LIBEKTY" error. NGC graded AU-50. A lovely well struck problem-free example with attractive antique toning. A few of the usual light hairlines are present, but with the wonderful color and sharp detail (only the drapery is weak on the obverse), these little lines fade into insignificance. Deserves your bid. Pop 3, 15 better. Estimated Value $5,500 - 6,500. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 624		1801 Draped Bust Half Dime. PCGS graded AU-58 PQ. Very boldly struck. Some clash marks as made. Completely clean of adjustment marks and other defects. Frosty and untoned. A solid AU-58 in all regards with enough luster and eye-appeal that we feel it earns "premium quality" status as well. The satiny surfaces are alight with frosty luster, the strike is clear-cut, or as clear-cut as an 1801 half dime can be considering the primitive conditions at the mint in those days. Finally, the eye appeal is nothing short of exceptional. Pop 5; only 2 better. (PCGS # 4267) . Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $17,825
Lot 625		1832 Capped Bust Half Dime. MS-64 Toned. A very choice well struck specimen (PCGS # 4279) . Estimated Value $750 - 850. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $690
Lot 626		1833 Capped Bust Half Dime. NGC graded MS-64. Old holder. Beautiful array of colors on both sides. A well struck half dime of the finest order for this early design. Nice frosty luster enhances the rich shades of toning that embellish the surfaces of this eye-catching half dime. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,100. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,495
Lot 627		1836 Capped Bust Half Dime. Large 5¢. PCGS graded MS-66. Nice toning and sharply struck. An intensely beautiful early half dime, a coin with impeccable luster and a strike that is amazingly close to complete for this often softly struck design. Intense and eye appealing toning surges around both sides and suggests that the present specimen spent much of its life in an old style coin envelope or collector album. Pop 5; 1 in 67 as finest at PCGS. (PCGS # 4287) . Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,888
Lot 628		1846. NGC graded AU-58. Well struck. Nicely toned around the borders. Among the half dimes in the present sale, this is one of the most important opportunities. Although it is hardly the most valuable example, it very well may be the rarest. Just 27,000 half dimes of this date were produced, the fifth lowest mintage of any Liberty Seated half dime (discounting the unique 1870-S issue), and the 10th lowest mintage of any date half dime from 1794 to 1873. This is a well toned example with nice underlying luster. The surfaces are excellent with only a few scattered marks. Somewhat weakly struck on the face and hair as nearly always. Pop 4; only 1 better (PCGS # 4336) . Estimated Value $7,500 - 8,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 629		1849 Liberty Seated Half Dime. NGC graded Proof 64. A distinctive, no-question Proof, especially for a coin of this era. Needle sharp with mirror fields overlaid with antique grey toning. This darkly toned specimen represents an extremely rare Proof issue. The total census of known Proof specimens probably would not be larger than 7 or 8 different examples. Only great collections include a Proof 1849 Half Dime, ones like Garrett's, Pittman's, Starr's, and Eliasberg's. Pop 2; only 1 better. Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,500. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 630		1849 Liberty Seated Half Dime. 9 over 6. PCGS graded MS-63. Toned on both sides. A well struck example that features complete star radials, full hair on Liberty, and equally nice detail in the shield stripes and LIBERTY ribbon. Pop 8; 4 in 64, 5 in 65. (PCGS # 4342) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 631		1854 Liberty Seated Half Dime. NGC graded Proof 65. Iridescently toned on both sides, the lovely antique gray and purple-blue patina all original. Smooth mirrors combined with nice satin devices allow this easily to slip into a Proof 65 "gem" quality grading holder by this first-tier grading firm. Pop 4; 7 better. (PCGS # 4432) . Estimated Value $12,000 - 14,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 632		1854 Liberty Seated Half Dime. NGC graded Proof 65. Well struck with light gold toning. A boldly struck Gem Proof of this three year only type. Both the obverse and reverse show the grand detail engraved into the dies. Liberty's delicate features are clear while the wreath on the reverse is sharp and shows inner leaf definition. Medium russet and gray toned overall with glints of iridescence. Originality and eye-appeal are the two objectives which immediately come to mind when examining this or any such scarce Proof coin from the 1850s. The number of Proof Half Dimes struck in 1854 is unrecorded. Walter Breen, a late-20th century researcher, simply wrote that they were very rare. We suggest 15 to 20 survived, a conservative opinion that is shared among specialists. Pop 4; 1 in PF66 as best by NGC. A total of 8 proofs graded by NGC. (PCGS # 4432) . Estimated Value $11,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 633		1856 Liberty Seated Half Dime. NGC graded Proof 65. A lovely gem speciman. Well struck with delicate sunset toning on both sides. According to Breen (1988), all Proof 1856 Seated Dimes are from one die marriage, the obverse with doubling on the ribbon, LIBERTY, and the lowermost folds of Liberty's skirt. There is also a die line on the reverse connecting the R in AMERICA to the border. This issue was struck two years before the Mint began to advertise Proofs to collectors; since recordkeeping was inexact in those days, the number of coins delivered in 1856 is unknown. Richly and originally toned, the surfaces are awash in lavender-charcoal color that deepens in a few areas near the peripheries and around the devices to warm shades of golden amber. The surfaces are pristine and free of conspicuous distractions. Pop 4; with 4 better by a point. Estimated Value $11,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $12,075
Lot 634		1857 Liberty Seated Half Dime. NGC graded MS-66. Nice white example. Not quite fully struck, with just a narrow region of weakness found along the rim denticles on both sides and the usual soft look to Liberty with weak stars on the right-hand side; the shield is crisp with most vertical and horizontal stripes showing. A solid Gem in the grade. Pop 34; 5 in 67; 1 in 68. (PCGS # 4365) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,150. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,380
Lot 635		1859 Liberty Seated Half Dime. PCGS graded Proof 65. Lovely green toning. Bold strike. A glittering gem of the highest Proof 65 quality for this popularly collected design. Technically a one year variety, the dies are believed to have been modified by Anthony C. Paquet whose unique "look" on America's coinage differs from his predecessor in office, Gobrecht, as well as his immediate superior at the time this was struck, James Longacre. Notice the hollow center of the stars. Full cartwheel luster blends smoothly with the lovely toning highlights on the frosted surfaces. Pop 24; 8 in 66; 3 in 67. (PCGS # 4438) . Estimated Value $2,700 - 3,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,105
Lot 636		1871 Liberty Seated Half Dime. PCGS graded Proof 66. Lovely blue and gold toning on both sides. A mirror fresh example that has shimmering wintry blast of white devices under the beautiful iridescent colors. Only 960 proofs struck. Pop 12; 1 in 67. (PCGS # 4454) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,760