1852-O H10C MS(PCGS#4350)

March 2021 U.S. Coins Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2152

Grade

MS65

Price

5,280

Lot Description

1852-O Liberty Seated Half Dime. V-1, the only known dies. MS-65 (NGC). This appealing New Orleans Mint half dime is from an era in which most silver coins were melted. The satiny surfaces are smooth, lustrous and lightly toned in iridescent champagne-pink. The effects of the California Gold Rush on silver coinage finally caught up with the New Orleans Mint half dime series in 1852 for, while the Southern facility achieved a respectable mintage of 860,000 coins for this denomination in 1851, the mintage of the 1852-O plummeted to just 260,000 pieces. Many of these coins were melted as their bullion content exceeded face value, resulting in a paucity of survivors at all grade levels. In Mint State this issue is a formidable rarity, especially in grades of MS-64 and finer, as here. A find for advanced half dime specialists, and sure to see spirited bidding at auction. Provenance: From the Steve Studer Collection. NGC Census: 6; 2 finer (both MS-66). PCGS# 4350. NGC ID: 233L. Click here for certification details from NGC.