1842 50C Small Date PR(PCGS#6386)

Winter 2022 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

5040

等级

PR64

价格

177,971

详细说明

Exceedingly Rare Proof 1842 Half Dollar 1842 Liberty Seated Half Dollar. WB-101. Rarity-7 as a Proof. Small Date, Large Letters (a.k.a. Reverse of 1842). Proof-64 (NGC). Offered is a significant, if underrated numismatic rarity - an unequivocal Proof Liberty Seated half dollar from the 1840s. It is a lovely coin that retains considerable brilliance to both sides, although one's eye will surely turn more readily to splashes of champagne, gold and blue-green toning. The design elements are fully struck with a soft satin texture that offers modest cameo contrast with reflective fields. A few minor handling marks are all that preclude a full Gem rating, and none are particularly troublesome to the unaided eye. As with all pre-1859 issues in the Proof Liberty Seated half dollar series, the total number of specimens produced for the 1842 was not recorded by the Mint and has long been lost to history. Numismatic scholars, therefore, are left with the number of coins extant as a basis for estimating the mintage. PCGS CoinFactsestimates that six to eight specimens are known, an increase over the estimate of "less than 6 known" provided by Randy Wiley and Bill Bugert in their 1993 reference The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars. Writing in his 2016 Guide Book of Liberty Seated Silver Coinsfor Whitman, Q. David Bowers puts forth a mintage of four to eight specimens. Where these sources agree is that all Proofs of this issue are of the Small Date, Large Letters type and their estimates, although differing somewhat, also confirm the extreme rarity of the 1842 half dollar in this format. Based on our research, seven different examples can be accounted for, and with two of those permanently impounded in museum collections (Smithsonian Institution and American Numismatic Society), we are aware of only five in private hands. Regardless of exactly how many coins were produced, the number of coins traced confirms that the mintage for this issue was clearly on a very limited scale. This is commensurate with the United States Mint's policy regarding Proof coinage during the 1840s. Mintages during that decade were achieved on an as needed basis, and generally only for official purposes or at the request of a select few numismatists active in the Northeast. It is important to remember in this regard that numismatics as a hobby did not begin to gain widespread appeal in the United States until the late 1850s, at which time the Mint made its first concerted effort to market yearly Proof coinage to collectors. This marketing effort coincided with the Mint's first recording of Proof mintages for gold and silver coins in 1859. Given the manner in which they were produced and distributed, it is likely that most Proof Liberty Seated half dollars from the 1840s have survived. Since few were struck in the first place, as above, issues such as the Proof 1842 half dollar are clearly very rare even if 90 to 95% of the mintages are extant. This is a phenomenal rarity that would serve as a highlight in even the finest cabinet. Provenance: Ex Oscar Schilke Proof set; Paul Kagin; Heritage's CSNS Signature Auction of April 2012, lot 5002. PCGS# 6386. NGC ID: 27T4. Click here for certification details from NGC.