1846 $5 Small Date MS(PCGS#88226)
1846 $5 Small Date MS (PCGS#88226)
August 2019 ANA U.S. Coins Auction Rosemont, IL
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 2152
- 等级
- MS61
- 价格
- 25,411
- 详细说明
- 1846 Liberty Head Half Eagle. Small Date. MS-61 (PCGS). An attractive and significant survivor of this issue that ranks among the finest known. The overall complexion of pale yellow-gold hues is accented by subtle honey shades. The fields are lightly reflective and icy on each side, complementing the more frosty texture that bathes the devices. A faint hint of friction shows across the high points but the surfaces are free of distracting abrasions. Sharply struck and exhibiting remarkably superior eye appeal for the assigned grade. The 1846 Small Date half eagle is a hugely underrated issue. The reported mintage for the year was 395,942, though this included both the Small Date and Large Date varieties. Writing in 1988, US gold coinage specialist David Akers noted that the "1846 is moderately rare in all grades and generally available only in VF to AU condition. Strictly uncirculated examples are rare, just as rare as those of 1844 and 1845. Both Small Date and Large Date varieties exist, the Small Date being the rarer of the two." We can conclude from certified populations that the Small Date is roughly 6 times as rare as the Large Date variety, representing only about 15% of the surviving examples. If we apply this same ratio to the reported mintage we can assume about only about 60,000 Small Date examples were struck, placing it on par with some of the prized Charlotte and Dahlonega issues of the same era. PCGS has certified only 6 Small Date examples in Mint State, the finest of which are only at the MS-62 level. The present piece sits just below this pinnacle, offering Condition Census preservation and considerably rarity. Long held in a private collection and only recently certified for the first time, this piece is sure to attract strong attention from Liberty Head gold specialists. PCGS Population: 4; just 2 finer in MS-62. PCGS# 88226. NGC ID: 25TE. Click here for certification details from PCGS.