1840 (O) 50C Rev. of 1839, Medium Letters MS(PCGS#6233)

September 2020 Collectors Choice Online Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

94091

Grade

VF25

Price

1,920

Lot Description

1840-(O) Liberty Seated Half Dollar. WB-12. Rarity-6. Medium Letters (a.k.a. Reverse of 1838). VF-25 (PCGS). Although not a rare Guide Bookvariety in an absolute sense, the 1840 Medium Letters half dollar is always in demand among specialists in Liberty Seated coinage. Through die linkage with two obverse dies of the 1840-O issue, Liberty Seated half dollar experts Randy Wiley and Bill Bugert concluded that the 1840 Medium Letters half dollars were actually struck at the New Orleans Mint using a leftover, yet unused reverse die of the 1839-O Capped Bust issue. Since the O appears on the obverse of the outgoing design and the reverse of the incoming type, this Liberty Seated issue does not display the mintmark on either side. WB-12, offered here, is by far the rarer of the two known die marriages of the 1840-(O) Medium Letters. The other is WB-4, which is a Rarity-3 variety. Provenance: From the E. Horatio Morgan Collection. Acquired from Jonathan K. Kern, date not recorded. Company tag included. PCGS# 6233. NGC ID: 24GM. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.