1795 50C O-113a, A over E MS(PCGS#39254)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Commissaire-priseur

Stack's Bowers

Numéro du lot

3062

Grade

MS62

Prix

72 000

Description du lot

Tompkins Die Stage 5/2. Incredible quality for <em>any</em> 1795 half dollar and therein lies one of the main focus points for this special coin. The other, of course, is its CC#2 ranking for the 1795 A/E in STATES <em>Guide Book</em> variety. The obverse strike is a trifle soft on the curls around Liberty's ear, also on the eagle's breast feathers on the reverse, but the detail is sharp on the wing feathers and leaves surrounding. Luster in the fields shines forth when studied under a lamp, and the toning blends a classic golden-rose and tan with warmer olive-blue iridescence at the borders. The engraver for the reverse die blundered the spelling of STETES memorialized in die steel, noticed the blunder and corrected it by punching the correct letter A over the errant E. These types of blunders are unusual and highly desirable, as they bring home the fact that these early U.S. Mint dies were hand engraved and not mass produced. No surface issues detract from the superior quality and eye appeal of this piece, and there also no mint-made detractions such as adjustment marks or flan flaws. A few faint planchet drift marks through the final letter A in AMERICA allow for easy plate matching to earlier auction appearances and otherwise confirm the provenance of this important coin.<p>The A/E in STATES <em>Guide Book</em> variety corresponds to only the Overton-113 die pairing of this issue, although early and late die states are known. There are no Mint State coins known for the O-113 attribution, and only three for the O-113a attribution. That offered here is the CC#2 coin, ranking behind only the Eliasberg specimen in NGC MS-64. The significance of this offering for advanced early half dollar variety enthusiasts can hardly be overstated.