Lot 2149
1848 Liberty Seated Dime. NGC graded Proof 66. An American classic, this rare early proof issue boasts the expected mirror fields, and a strike that is far and away sharper than the usual business strike of this date. The stars are all needle sharp, and Liberty's hair is especially sharp. Toned with magnificent blue around the periphery, with a satiny golden gray over Liberty and reflective fields around, the reverse well matched but lighter in color and with less blue around the periphery. As noted in the Breen Encyclopedia on Proofs, the 1 in the date is repunched on the upper serif below, and the date slants down to the right. Curiously, the reverse die was used on proof dimes from 1844, 1846 and 1847, indicating some methodology to these vastly understudied early proof issues. It is apparent that the proofs struck prior to 1857 were not widely available, and dates were struck in a seemingly random fashion, if at all. On these 1848 proof dimes, it is reasonable to believe that about 20 were struck, of these NGC has graded 3 as PF-63, 1 as PF-64, 3 as PF-65 and 4 at the top as PF-66. PCGS has only graded 2 of these, both as PR-64. Therefore, this is one of the finest certified examples of this date in proof. We note some minor hairlines in the fields, and to identify this one in the future we note a tiny tick on the lower left arm just above her elbow, and another tiny tick on her left knee, the reverse by an extremely faint pin line above TES of STATES which bumps along the dentils. In NGC holder #698601-002.
Estimated Value $18,000 - 22,000.
This is likely the coin we offered in our Ariagno Sale, May 1999, lot 237.
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| Realized $20,125 |
