1843-O $5 Small Letters MS(PCGS#8217)

1843-O $5 Small Letters MS (PCGS#8217)

The August 2010 Boston Rarities Sale

Losbeschreibung: 1843-O Liberty Half Eagle. Small Letters. Winter Variety One, the only known dies. Die State II. AU-58 (NGC). The Small Letters is the first of two date logotypes used in production of 1843-dated Half Eagles in the New Orleans Mint. Examples are scarcer than their identically dated Large Letters counterpart, and the 1843-O Small Letters actually vies with the 1855-O and 1856-O as the fifth-rarest issue in the New Orleans Mint Five-Dollar series.<br />     This sharply defined, minimally worn example exhibits even khaki-orange color to both sides. There are few abrasions that are individually distracting, and light glossiness to the surfaces is easily overlooked in an AU-quality survivor of this rare and challenging issue.