1848-D $5 MS(PCGS#8238)

The November 2011 Baltimore Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

9493

等级

MS63

价格

131,313

详细说明

1848-D Liberty Half Eagle. MS-63 (NGC). Highly lustrous deep yellow gold with warm orange highlights. A touch of striking weakness is seen at the center of Liberty's portrait and at the eagle's neck, otherwise fairly sharp in all places. Devoid of serious marks, and pleasing as such. Reverse die rotated to about 230 degrees, with the eagle's head pointing to 2 o'clock instead of the usual 12 o'clock position. From an unusual die state that was pointed out in the writer's cataloging for Part II of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection (1999). A pleasing example of a date that is typically found well circulated; many of the 47,465 pieces struck saw heavy service in the channels of commerce. As David Akers noted about the date: ""Above EF it must be considered a major rarity."" Tied for finest certified.<br /> As noted above, the present writer (Frank Van Valen) saw a similar die state while cataloging the Bass Collection. The writer's comments are reproduced here: ""The obverse of this specimen shows strong clash marks in the field behind Miss Liberty's head, as well as in front of her throat, and in among the letters of LIBERTY in her tiara and in her eye. Careful examination reveals what appears to be the clashed image of the eagle from the reverse die as something seemingly familiar, yet not exactly the image of the eagle from that die. Perhaps a die from another denomination was accidentally dropped on the obverse die of this half eagle, before it was shipped from Philadelphia to Dahlonega. The heaviest of the clash marks appears behind Liberty's head, resembling the crook of an eagle's wing more than anything else; the marks do not, however, match perfectly with the reverse design elements."" After further examination of the presently offered specimen, the writer must add that stars 2, 3, and 4 have been heavily polished, with stars 2 and 3 very thin and fragile as a result. No doubt heavy die polishing occurred in this area, almost assuredly in an effort to efface t