1836 50C O-118 Bar Dot, Lettered Edge MS65 认证号84984652, PCGS号39960

1836 50C LET EDGE 0-118 BAR DOT PCGS MS65 (CAC) EX CHICAGO COLLECTION We had to own it. This piece is from our recent REGENCY 47 sale. Here was the description: The presently offered GEM is tied for FINEST KNOWN of all those designated as Bar-Dot at PCGS. The O-118 is a Rarity-3 die marriage. Popular among collectors and researchers alike, showing that there are still subjects in extensively studied specialties still wating to be fully researched and explained. Incredibly lustrous surfaces radiate with an uninterrupted cartwheel bloom. Even close inspection with a strong glass fails to reveal anything more than a light break in the brilliant frost. Delicate hints of the golden tone are dusted on both sides, most specifically near the peripheries. The centers are crisply rendered from a bold impression of the dies, though there is some minor weakness at the rim and stars 5-7 and the corresponding area of the reverse. The surfaces are nearly pristine, and even a strong glass fails to reveal anything more than a planchet streak and a tick or two. The mostly untoned brilliance is exquisite and a delight to behold. The O-118 is one of four die marriages classified as a BAR DOT. Named because of of the small line which protrudes to the right of the loop of the 6 in the date, that ends in a dot. Speculation abounds among experts as to what these die characteristics were caused by; some suggest that its remnants of an underlying 4, but the debate suggests its unlikely that four such overdate varieties were used. Overton’s reference notes: “This would seem to be the best candidate for 1836 over 4. PCGS 21, NGC 11, CAC 8. (PCGS has graded just 3 for the Bar-Dot O-118 variety in MS65 and NONE FINER). This is the FINEST listed in the Spring 2021 Revision of Stephen Herrman’s AMBPR, and the other MS65 on the PCGS Coin Facts census is in the Dr. Charles Link Collection. The only record we can locate of this coin selling was in Heritage’s February 2014 New York Auction, lot 5136, where it realized $14,688. As a distinct Red Book type this coin is among the FINEST KNOWN and presents a very important opportunity for the advanced specialist in this beloved series.

Ron Guth

The "Bar-Dot" varieties of 1836 Half Dollars exhibit a small bar extending horizontally from the right side of the loop of the 6, ending in a dot.  This anomaly appears on four different obverse dies, represented on five different die varieties (O-101, O102, O-118, O-120, and O-121).  Different researchers have debated the meaning of the bar-dot.  Some believe it might be a trace of a 4 from an 1834-dated die overdated in 1836.  However, others argue that the odds of four different 1834 obverse dies being overdated in 1836 are extremely low.  Another theory is that the bar-dot is a mark placed deliberately on the die by the engraver.  Or, it could be a natural die flaw.  Clearly, researchers have not yet reached a consensus on the cause of the bar-dot.  No matter which way it turns out, the Bar-Dot varieties are very popular with collectors.

The 1836 O-118 Bar-Dot variety is fairly scarce but can be found in nice condition thanks to a small handful of Uncirculated examples.  The finest certified example tops out at MS65.