Lot 456
1859 Liberty Seated Dime. Transitional. PCGS graded Proof 66 Low Rarity 7. Old green holder. Lovely natural toning on both sides. A nice bold strike. Struck in silver with a reeded edge, this famous Transitional Pattern combines the obverse of the regular Stars Obverse 1859 Seated Dime with Longacre's cereal wreath reverse that was introduced in 1860. An oddity, it does not display the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA anywhere on the coin!
According to the cataloger of the Louis Eliasberg, Sr. Collection: "On October 25, 1859, Mint Director Colonel James Ross Snowden wrote to Secretary of the Treasury Howell Cobb to suggest that Longacre's new cereal wreath reverse be adopted for use on all circulating silver coinage. In the end, the federal government decided to use this motif only on the Half Dime and Dime. The Coiner's Department struck approximately 12 specimen Dimes in 1859 with the new cereal wreath reverse. The obverse, as mentioned above, was that of the regular issue Seated Dime of that year. These pieces may have been prepared to demonstrate the proposed reverse design, but Breen (1988) suggests that they were struck clandestinely for sale to collectors with close ties to the Mint. Whatever the exact reason for their existence, the 1859 Transitional Dimes are among the rarest of all Seated coinage. Although technically patterns (or pieces de caprice, per Breen), survivors are eagerly sought by collectors for inclusion in sets of regular issue Seated Dimes."
At the top of the PCGS list for the issue, this glorious Gem Proof is richly populated with tannish-copper toning on top of a base of silver-gray iridescence. There is also a blush of delicate powder-blue tinting along the lower left reverse border. Direct angles reveal modest, yet appreciable brightness in the fields, while the striking detail is razor-sharp throughout. Free of outwardly distracting blemishes with an attractively original appearance. Pop 2; none finer at PCGS. (PCGS # 4749) .
Estimated Value $33,000 - 36,000.
The Mark Gordon Collection Ex: Eliasberg Collection, May 1996:1168.
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| Realized $33,925 |
