1795/1795 50C Recut Date O-111 3 Leaves MS(PCGS#39245)

August 2018 ANA U.S. Coins Auction Philadelphia, PA

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1142

等级

VF30

价格

63,625

详细说明

Condition Census 1795 Three Leaves Half Dollar Ex R.L. Miles, Jr. 1795/1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar. O-111, T-19. Rarity-4+. Three Leaves. VF-30 (PCGS). An important rarity for advanced specialists in the early half dollar series. The light dove-grey patina is accented by a faint golden iridescence that paints each side. The surfaces show gentle, uniform wear, with only an old mark near star 12 to be noted under scrutiny. Liberty's portrait is boldly defined, featuring intricate hair detail, profile features, and a sharp centering dot. The repunching of the date is dramatic and visible to the naked eye, echoed by a similar repunching to the B of LIBERTY. The diagnostic reverse crack is well formed, with a distinct shelf now developed between the upper and lower half of the die. Even so, traces of the breast feathers remain on the raised portion, speaking to the overall exceptional strike and superior preservation. The 1795 Three Leaves variety has long been recognized as something significant among specialists. The rarity of this variety was acknowledged as early as March 1882, when an example was offered as part of the collection of Philadelphia dealer J. Colvin Randall in the sale cataloged by George Cogan and sold by Bangs & Co., both of New York City. Randall had been devising his own attribution system for early half dollars and had undertaken a massive amount of research on the series for the project. Cogan relays Randall's findings on the 1795 Three Leaves when cataloging his own example, noting for lot 115 that "Mr. Randall states that he has examined over 1,000 of this date and discovered only four of this variety, and knows of two others only. The rarest of the 1795 half dollars." Though several ultra rare 1795 varieties have emerged in the 135 years since this assessment like the O-101 (R-7), O-123 (R-7), and the O-132 (R-8), the O-111 Three Leave remains incredibly elusive with only about 100 known in all grades. The present example falls into the lower end of the Condition Census, which is topped by the AU-58 (PCGS) Newman specimen. Following this is the AU Details--Cleaned (PCGS) example from the Meyer Collection, the EF-45 (PCGS) example from the (complete!) Chuck Link Collection, and a pair of EF-40 examples including the Queller specimen (NGC). This piece is an old friend of our firm, having first appeared in our (Stack's) sale of May 1937 as part of the M.M.H. Consignment of "Most Unusual and Rare Colonial Coins." Accompanied by Sommer Island coinage, a pair of Continental dollars, Massachusetts Silver coinage and others, it was the only Federally-issued piece therein and called the "rarest 1795 half dollar." It was then offered in our March 1959 sale of the Pelletreau Collection before being sold by Stack's as part of the fabulous R.L. Miles, Jr. Collection in April 1969. This piece was last available publicly as in our Auction '85 sale and has since been held privately in an advanced cabinet of early half dollars. Appearing on the market now for the first time in over 30 years, this piece represents an irresistible opportunity for collectors approaching the early half dollar series by variety or Red Booktype. Provenance: Ex Stack's sale of May 1937, lot 1371; Stacks' sale of the Pelletreau Collection, March 1959, lot 723; Stack's sale of the R.L. Miles, Jr. Collection, April 1969, lot 1204; Stack's sale of September 1975, lot 226; Stack's Auction '85, July 1985, lot 1699. PCGS Population: 3; 6 finer through AU-50. PCGS# 6053. NGC ID: 24E7. Click here for certification details from PCGS.