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Sale 48
Lot 1259
1839-C $5 Liberty. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. In PCGS holder 4533516. We feel this is a specimen striking; mentioned in the Garrett and Guth book page 202. A wonderful coin with a lovely rich golden patina. Only 17,205 pieces minted. Housed in an old green holder.
Fantastic surfaces like those on a Philadelphia Mint Proof! The field smooth and highly prooflike (moreso on the obverse than the reverse, it should be mentioned); devices sharp as any ever encountered and gleaming with warm golden satin frost on the devices. The two together -- the fields and devices -- provide an exquisite counterpoint, if you like, fresh cameo-like contrast that will hypnotize anyone who stares too long and hard at it! Forgive the duplicate exclamation points in the above sentences, but this coin deserves many more, it is that incredible.
Marvelous sharp strike in natural slightly reddish color deep gold. The 1839-C Half Eagle is a stand-alone type from the issues of 1840-1865 in the Liberty half eagle series. And it does not take an the eye of an expert to see the difference, for there are many details from Gobrecht's first hub which are plainly evident, while others are not quite so obvious as the differences seen on his 1838-39 eagles. What's more, the 1839-C five has the feature of being the only Coronet half eagle with mintmark on obverse.
The unusual piece that is offered here surpasses all others that are known to us of the 1839-C Coronet five (only a handful of Mint States are recorded). When it comes to beautiful coins, the number known dwindles rapidly down to this one, the only one that shines like a beacon in the mists. This handsome MS64 sets at the standard, a subjective yet no less objective beauty whose ranking among surviving '39-C specimens puts it miles beyond anything you will ever get a chance to bid on.
The details on the main relief features are boldly struck on either side more than you can imagine unless you view it in person. This leaves the viewer wide-mouthed and in awe at the remarkable sharpness found on Liberty's hair and hair bun, the coronet and stars. As far as the eagle's feathers go, and the shield, and elsewhere, everything duplicates the razor-sharpness found on the other side. Identifying marks, while few, can serve as future provenance links as if any were needed: a very minor disturbance in the prooflike field at the point of Liberty's coronet; two little ticks in the field to the right of the eagle's neck; a tiny wedge-shaped tick beneath D of UNITED; and one or two others so immaterial that we'll skip them. Note in the photos how clean the cheek is. Liberty's visage is satin-fresh as though she just awoke from a beauty treatment. To sum it up, this coin has exceptional quality and a well recognized rarity in this grade. Again, it may yield a "Specimen" grade sometime in the near future, therefore bid as if you mean it. Pop 2; none finer at PCGS (PCGS # 8192) .
Estimated Value $150,000 - 200,000.
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| Realized $172,500 |
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