1847 1/2C Reverse of 1840, BN PR(PCGS#35387)

August 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

1155

Grade

PR66BN

Price

13,800

Lot Description

Gem Proof Second Restrike 1847 Half Cent Ex Missouri Cabinet 1847 Braided Hair Half Cent. Second Restrike. B-3. Rarity-5. Small Berries. Proof-66 BN (PCGS). CAC. A richly toned and original Gem Proof showing both exceptional preservation and production quality. Sharp and richly frosted across all elements with an icy reflectivity in the fields. Shades of plum and olive-brown dominate the patina, though vibrant flashes of violet and turquoise erupt beneath a light source. This specimen was included in the exceptional Missouri Cabinet, which further testifies to the superior quality. With only 20 to 30 specimens known, the restrike Proof 1847 half cent is a great rarity. The later series of half cents contains a panorama of rarities including Proof-only issues of 1836, three different varieties for each date from 1840 to 1848 (original, first restrike, second restrike), the 1849 Small Date and the 1852. Today, all three varieties of Proof Braided Hair half cents of 1840 to 1848 are eagerly pursued. However, Q. David Bowers recalls that in the 1950s he had only one client who desired all three: Emery May Holden Norweb. The present piece is one of the finest known of the B-3, Second Restrike variety, ranking at the top of the PCGS Population. Provenance: Ex R.E. Naftzger, Jr., privately, 1992; Eric Streiner; our (Stack's) sale of January 1992, lot 303; R. Tettenhorst (Bernard Edison); Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society; Ira and Larry Goldberg's sale of the Missouri Cabinet, January 2014, lot 183. Heritage's sale of the Poulos Family Collection, Part II, September 2019. PCGS Population: 1; none finer. PCGS# 35387. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.