1839 50C No Drapery MS(PCGS#6230)

November 2019 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

1362

Grade

AU55

Price

2,880

Lot Description

1839 Liberty Seated Half Dollar. No Drapery. WB-2. Rarity-3. AU-55 (PCGS). A truly exceptional example of this scarce transitional issue. Soft lavender-grey patina blankets the surfaces, glowing with colorful iridescence around the devices on each side. Sharply struck for the variety with superior definition to Liberty's drapery and the eagle's feathers. A few scattered marks are noted in the fields, including on at the upper arrow head, but other inclinations of handling are minimal. This is a gorgeous piece that must be experienced in-hand. Gobrecht's Liberty Seated design came last to half dollars, three years after its introduction to dollars, two years after it first appeared on dimes and half dimes, and a year after it was first seen on quarter dollars. Half dollars since 1836 had displayed a Gobrecht reworking of the old design by John Reich, with a capped bust of Liberty on the obverse and eagle on the reverse. The reverse design was retained with slight modifications; in 1842; the size of the reverse motto increased notably, a change that would remain until the motif was retired in 1891. Of vital importance to type collectors, the No Drapery design was used exclusively in 1839, and for only a portion of that year. They are intensely sought-after by type collectors and specialists, and this colorful Choice AU example is sure to cause considerable excitement. Provenance: Acquired from our (Coin Galleries') sale of August 1985, lot 29. PCGS# 6230. NGC ID: 24GK. Click herefor certification details from PCGS.