1851-O 50C MS(PCGS#6267)

March 2021 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

5099

等级

MS63

价格

15,773

详细说明

1851-O Liberty Seated Half Dollar. WB-1. Rarity-4. MS-63 (NGC). Warm grayish-violet toning is nicely balanced and blends with a dash of golden-sunset iridescence on the obverse. Well struck with lustrous and attractive surfaces. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 and the influx of gold into circulation caused the price of silver to rise to an extent that, by 1851, the silver coins produced by the Mint were worth more as bullion than face value, encouraging aggressive hoarding, exporting and melting for profit. This surge in pricing also consumed the Mint's seigniorage for the production of these coins, forcing them to reduce output significantly across all silver denominations. It wasn't until the reduction in planchet weight accompanied by the Arrows design type in 1853 that this was alleviated and the Mint began striking coins liberally once again. A victim of this tumultuous era, the 1851 Liberty Seated half dollars struck in New Orleans exemplifies the extent to which these circumstances hobbled the productivity of the Mint. The two preceding years saw bountiful productions of 2.3 and 2.4 million coins, and seemingly in anticipation of another active striking period, 20 pairs of dies were shipped to New Orleans Mint for the 1851 issue. In fact, only four of these pairs would be employed, in five distinct combinations, for a total mintage of just 402,000 coins. The 1851-O is a considerable condition rarity in Uncirculated preservation. A loose concentration of examples can be found in Choice Mint State, and these coins represent the finest realistically obtainable for advanced collectors. Provenance: From the Steve Studer Collection. Earlier ex our (Bowers and Merena's) Baltimore Auction of March 2005, lot 568. NGC Census: 6; 11 finer (MS-66+ finest). PCGS# 6267. NGC ID: 24HK. Click here for certification details from NGC.