1876-S 50C WB-43 T2 Very Small S MS(PCGS#800986)

1876-S 50C WB-43 T2 Very Small S MS (PCGS#800986)

November 2019 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

Lot Description: 1876-S Liberty Seated Half Dollar. Type II Reverse. WB-43. Rarity-7. Very Small S. AU Details--Cleaned (PCGS). An exceedingly rare die variety of the 1876-S half dollar issue, only one example was known to Randy Wiley and Bill Bugert when the latter published his Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties, Volume I: San Francisco Mintin 2009. That coin is the Eliasberg specimen, lot 2042 in our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of that collection. According to Bill Bugert, the 1876-S WB-43 has "very proof-like surfaces," a feature still evident here despite light hairlining from a cleaning. Direct light calls forth appreciable reflectivity in the fields, the devices set apart with a satin to softly frosted finish. Closer inspection with a loupe reveals additional diagnostics of these dies: a tiny obverse die lump on Liberty's right thigh near the junction of the vertical and horizontal shield stripes, and the bottom loop of the S mintmark filled on the reverse. A highly significant offering for the advanced collector of Liberty Seated half dollar varieties. Provenance: From the E. Horatio Morgan Collection. PCGS# 800986. Click here for certification details from PCGS.