Lot 1472
1841 Liberty Seated Half Dollar. NGC graded Proof 65. Lovely shades of blue gold toning. Well Struck. A superbly original Proof coin of this early issue. Half of the obverse is toned in medium violet leading from the lower right leading to the upper left. In the upper left, we see iridescent shades of ochre blended in with rose and other violet tones. The reverse is matching its originality with 50 percent violet leading into rich golden tones. A coin for the true connoisseur of fresh beauty.
This is an extremely rare coin in Proof format. To the best of our knowledge there are only five or six Proofs of this date known, including this coin which hails from the legendary Pittman Collection; the Eliasberg specimen; the Reed Hawn coin; the piece in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution; and the one sold in the 1952 ANA sale. Virgil Brand once owned one described as Proof making six in all.
In the 1840s, the Mint only made Proof coins for presentation to foreign dignitaries, governmental Vips, and other friends of the Mint, itself. Usually, they were made as parts of sets. It is likely that the number of special sets called for each year numbered around 10, as the need for them was infrequent and not large.
Pop 1, the finest graded; 3 in 64 by NGC.
Ex: Pittman Collection sale, Dave Akers, 5/1998:1522 (PCGS # 6385) .
Estimated Value $42,000 - 48,000.
Pittman.
|
| |
| Realized $55,200 |
