1821 50C O-101 MS(PCGS#39575)

August 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

1200

Grade

MS65

Price

9,600

Lot Description

Colorful Gem 1821 O-101 Half Dollar The Eliasberg Specimen Tied for Finest Known 1821 Capped Bust Half Dollar. O-101. Rarity-1. MS-65 (NGC). Silver-grey at the centers with a dusting of tan and peach patina on both sides. The borders are illuminated by vibrant shades of turquoise, magenta, golden iridescence that glow under direct lighting. Sharply struck and fully untroubled across the high points. The reverse shows a thin crack through the tops of UNITED STATES, but the lump in S1 and the crack at RICA have not yet appeared to indicate the O-101a die state. This piece sits at the top of the Condition Census for the variety, according to researched Stephen Herrman, tied with just a single coin also graded MS-65 (NGC). We last handled it over 13 years ago in our April 1997 sale of the legendary Eliasberg Collection, where we called it a "winning coin from any perspective." It was more recently included in the October 2014 sale of the Gardner Collection, further testifying to it's superior quality. Provenance: From the Iron Eagle Collection. Earlier ex our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of the Eliasberg Collection, Part II, April 1997, lot 1775; Simco Numismatics, June 1997; Heritage's sale of the Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part II, October 2014, lot 98469. NGC Census: 13; 5 finer. PCGS# 39575. NGC ID: 24FF. Click here for certification details from NGC.