Lot 1331
1866-S. No motto. PCGS graded MS-62. Frosty and untoned. This is a sharply struck example that has clean surfaces and a rich silvery sheen for the patina, luster that is spread evenly over each side including the high points of the design. There is no die clashing present on the reverse, which adds to the desirable quality since a number of these were made from clashed dies. One expert, Dick Osburn, who has studied this date extensively, estimates that perhaps only one in twenty 1866-S No Motto Halves show no die clashing on the reverse.
It took some time before the Philadelphia Mint could prepare new dies incorporating the new IN GOD WE TRUST motto. Being the sole source for dies for the branch mints, Philadelphia had to send an old No Motto reverse to San Francisco in 1866 since the With Motto versions weren't ready. Travel in those days was slow, at best. It was not until May 1866 that the new Half Dollar reverses went out. Before they arrived, however, San Francisco's coining department struck 60,000 No Motto Halves. It is likely fewer than a dozen Mint State specimens survive, making 1866-S No Motto an undeniable rarity in the grade. Pop 1; 2 in 63, 1 in 65 (PCGS # 6315) .
Estimated Value $14,000 - 15,000.
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