1827 50C O-148a MS(PCGS#39747)

1827 50C O-148a MS (PCGS#39747)

January 2024 Mail Bid Auction 57

Lot Description: For many, the most important coin in the sale. How many remember when this rarity was called the 1827 DT-1? Dan Thornhill discovered the variety, a cleaned XF, in 1971, after Overton published his 2nd Edition. Soon thereafter Floyd Farley pried it loose in a trade with Thornhill. In June 1987 Farley offered the coin to BHNC members via private auction. Charlton Meyer, of course, prevailed. Over the past 50+ years other examples have been uncovered, dropping the rarity rating from R.7 to R.6. An odd fact is that many of the known examples are struck from spoiled planchets, including brockages, off-center strikes and flip-over double strikes. The coin offered here is new. There is nothing unusual about the planchet. It was cherry-picked “raw” in August 2023 at a small show in Las Vegas. The light grey obverse was cleaned. The nameless culprit left the reverse alone. Thus the two-tone appearance. The coin had emerged unscathed from circulation. No marks deserve mention and no argument with PCGS’s sharpness grade of VF. Interesting aside:The sharp-eyed consignor spotted another unattributed 1827 O.148 30 years ago. He sold it privately to the late Jerry Killingsworth, an early BHNC member. Estimate $10,000 and up