1882 50C, CAM PR65CAM 认证号35098763, PCGS号86443

Only 1,110 minted (scarce!). This is among the best known examples. Paid $2,550 cash from dealer Christopher Berinato. Dealer said he had paid $2350 himself (but auction records show he actually paid $2160 at Heritage auction 6/17/2018). He said he was asking $3000 retail online, but quickly came down to $2600, but ultimately bargained down to $2550 when I offered to pay cash. Phenomenal eye-appeal with "black & white" cameo appearance, with solid frosty white subjects against black-mirrored background. Probably undergraded, since looks "DCAM", but was only graded "CAM". There is a splash of fuzziness at 2:00 oclock on obverse, but dealer pointed out if it didn't have this minor flaw it would have been graded PR66-67, and cost a lot more. Dealer pointed out the reverse looks "perfect". Dealer said that a few years ago, this coin would have cost $5,000 but that there's been a "bear market" in expensive coins. Still, he says they sell briskly in the mid-$2000 range, and pointed out how many others he sold at the show so far. He said he was pricing them for fast turnover, but if he held out for months on eBay at a higher asking price he might be able to sell if for close to $3,000.

Ron Guth

The 1882 Half Dollar is very scarce as a Proof due to its low mintage of only 1,100 pieces.  This number is not particularly small for coins of that period, but it is low when compared to the millions of Proofs that are being produced today.  What makes this coin especially valuable is the small mintage of only 4,400 circulation strikes, which means that collectors who seek high-grade examples of this date are often forced to consider purchasing a Proof in light of the scarcity of Mint State pieces.  In this year, Cameo Proofs represented a higher percentage of the total popuplation and finally, Deep Cameos begin to appear with increasing frequency -- though they are still quite scarce.  The overall quality of Proof Half Dollars from this year is excellent, indicating that most were set aside and carefully preserved by prescient collectors.