1855/54 50C Arrows PR(PCGS#6409)

December 2025 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part I

Commissaire-priseur

Stack's Bowers

Numéro du lot

22068

Grade

PR63+

Prix

19 200

Description du lot

Handsome gunmetal-gray toning with iridescent gold, apricot and powder blue undertones on this rare and attractive Proof half dollar. Fully struck with razor sharp detail, both sides also reveal a uniformly mirrored finish as the surfaces dip into a light. A rare and significant offering for advanced collectors of Liberty Seated coinage, this coin would serve as a highlight in the finest cabinet.<p>As with all pre-1859 U.S. Mint Proof issues, the 1855 half dollar is a significant rarity. Only 14 to 20 specimens are believed extant from an unknown, although obviously limited mintage. (This estimate per <em>PCGS CoinFacts</em>; Q. David Bowers offers a slightly more liberal estimate of 16 to 22 coins struck.) Just six to eight of the survivors are examples of the 1855/54 overdate represented here. This variety was discovered by Walter Breen in 1970 when examining a circulation strike 1855 half dollar in Lester Merkin's sale of September of that year (lot 446). Proof strikings from this obverse die were discovered by our own Q. David Bowers. In addition to their rarity, Proof 1855/54 half dollars enjoy strong numismatic demand due to the brevity of the Arrows, No Motto Liberty Seated half dollar design, a type that is particularly elusive in this format. (The only other issue of this type, the 1854, is also a legendary rarity as a Proof.) With offerings expectably few and far between in today's market, we encourage interested parties to enter strong bids for impressive piece.