1805/4 50C Overton 103b MS(PCGS#39295)

The August 2013 Chicago ANA World's Fair of Money

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2126

Grade

VG8

Price

9,988

Lot Description

1805/4 Draped Bust Half Dollar. O-103b. Rarity-6. VG-8 (PCGS). This is one of the most popular and dramatic die states in the Draped Bust half dollar series. Back in the early 1970s when reading through the Overton reference, the photograph of the 1805/4 Overton-103b really stood out. Had that big triangle portion of the die covering the first and part of the second star entirely fallen out? Later research confirms that it had not completely fallen out of the die, but was pushed well out of the die plane, yet the triangle die break had moved sufficiently as to be quite noticeable. The surfaces are a uniform deep gray with lighter silver-gray on the worn areas of the design. Strong die clashing is evident. There is a dramatic die crack which bisects the entire obverse, and of course the huge die section on the lower right has sunken from the die surface. There are no significant handling marks, and the eye appeal is solid for this rare coin. It is now believed that the "b" die state does not fully exist where a full cud has formed, but this example is certainly one of the last struck and shows this break as quite advanced. PCGS# 6070. From our (Stack's) auction May, 2007, lot 655.