1840-O H10C Drapery MS(PCGS#4327)

The August 2013 Chicago ANA World's Fair of Money

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

1696

Grade

AU50

Price

1,234

Lot Description

1840-O Liberty Seated Half Dime. Drapery. AU-50 (NGC). An originally toned example, both sides are drenched in blended charcoal gray and steel-blue. The strike is suitably bold for an early New Orleans Mint Liberty Sated coin, and all design elements are readily evident in the absence of all but minimal wear. A scarce issue in all grades, the 1840-O Drapery half dime is particularly elusive in the finer circulated and Mint State grades. In AU the issue merits a Rarity-6 ranking (per Al Blythe, The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dimes, 1992) and, indeed, it has been quite some time since we have offered an example in this grade. Clearly this lot represents an important bidding opportunity for the specialized collector of Liberty Seated and/or New Orleans Mint coinage. PCGS# 4327.