1838 50C J-73 Original PR(PCGS#11285)

The November 2012 Baltimore Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

5195

Grade

PR64

Price

4,406

Lot Description

1838 Pattern Half Dollar. Judd-73, Pollock-77. Rarity-5. Silver. Reeded Edge. Proof-64 (NGC). Obverse: Large bust of Liberty left wearing fancy tiara with rising sun motif, LIBERTY on ribbon in loosely flowing hair, date below, bust divides stars 7X6. Reverse: flying eagle left, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around, heavy die crack from rim grazes first A of AMERICA and terminates in the wing, another crack from rim at 7 o'clock passes through the A of HALF and runs across the eagle's keg to its tail feathers. Brightly lustrous and frosty silver central motifs play well against reflective steel-gray fields. Dies by William Kneass. The uspatterns.com website notes the following about Judd-73: "These exist as both originals and restrikes. The restrikes exist with various degrees of reverse die cracks and obverse wear and are believed to have been made in the early 1850s and continuing throughout the 1860s and 1870s...to our knowledge, there are no examples known struck from an uncracked reverse die." A visually pleasing example of a moderately rare early silver pattern issue. PCGS# 11285. Provenance: From the Ernest E. Keusch Collection.