1844 1/2C Restrike, BN PR(PCGS#1275)

1844 1/2C Restrike, BN PR (PCGS#1275)

The November 2012 Baltimore Auction

Losbeschreibung: 1844 Braided Hair Half Cent. B-3. Rarity-6+. Small Berries, Second Restrike. Proof-64+ BN (PCGS). Brassy golden-brown surfaces fired up with lively splashes of violet, blue, rose, and gold iridescence. Breen's Second Restrike, Small Berries, file marks over RICA on the reverse. A rare and popular half cent issue, restruck some time after the 1844 date but still highly regarded by half cent aficionados. The Proof-only Braided Hair issues of half cents beginning from 1840 to 1848 inclusive, plus 1849 Small Date and 1852, are all very rare. The prices are extremely modest in comparison to what coins of related availability sell for in the American series. This is probably because there are so many different varieties -- especially three varieties of each of the dates in the 1840s -- that the challenge is very daunting. If the offered coin had been the solitary Proof-only Braided half cent issue one can imagine that it would sell for many tens of thousands of dollars. PCGS# 1276.