1899-S 50C MS(PCGS#6485)

1899-S 50C MS (PCGS#6485)

June 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: This 1899-S Barber half dollar displays full, satin to softly frosted luster and virtually complete strike detail on both the obverse and reverse. Lightly toned in golden-gray with flecks of russet, the surfaces are very nice for the assigned grade and border on pristine. The 1899-S is one of the so-called "Philippine hoard dates" in the Barber half dollar series, as described by David Lawrence (1991). The other two are the 1898-S and 1900-S. Much of the mintage of 1,686,411 pieces for the 1899-S was sent to the Philippine Islands to be used in commerce in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Some of these coins were hoarded after seeing limited circulation, explaining why the 1899-S is among the more obtainable mintmarked half dollars from the 1890s in EF and AU grades. On the other hand, many of these repatriated examples are impaired due to cleaning.<p>Due to its distribution, the 1899-S is one of the more elusive Barber half dollar issues from its era in Uncirculated condition. Q. David Bowers (2019) describes Mint State survivors as, "Very difficult to locate despite [the issue's] high mintage." The present lot represents only our fifth offering for an example grading finer than MS-65 in more than 15 years. An impressive condition rarity, this lovely coin will be just right for another advanced collection of Barber coinage.