Lot 667
1839-C $2.50 Classic Head. NGC graded AU-53. Mintage for the year came in at 18,140, and considering that the vast majority were lost or melted into newer coinage, this is certainly in the top ten percent of those known to survive. The dies were really suffering when this one was coined, the obverse has a bisecting crack from the second to the ninth star, through Liberty's face, and another crack up through the sharply recut 3 in the date. The reverse is even more sorry, where we find a heavy break through the first 2 in the denomination up through the eagle's beak into the field, and another crack just above the left wing of the eagle. This is the "common" die pairing of this scarce date, but in such lovely condition, we expect intense collector demand.
One of the emerging forces noticed recently at the Philadelphia ANA show was that eye-appealing AU coins were bringing more money than mint state coins without the eye appeal. Several coins of various denominations were offered, and many sales were recorded that reflected the feverish demand for eye appeal, regardless of the technical grade. This is reflective of numismatists buying coins, and not just investors purchasing coins, and will benefit the market as collector demand remains very strong.
This coin is an example of a very choice AU coin which will no doubt bring a premium for its appealing surfaces, sexy obverse mintmark and shattered dies.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500.
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| Realized $3,910 |
