1877 50C J-1526, CAM PR(PCGS#861866)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3473

Grade

PR65CAM

Price

90,000

Lot Description

<strong>Obv:</strong> William Barber's Helmeted Liberty Head design. A head of Liberty faces left with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST above, the date 1877 below, and 13 stars arranged around the border, seven left, six right. Liberty is wearing a crested helmet embossed with an eagle motif, and the word LIBERTY on the visor. <strong>Rev:</strong> A small eagle with spread wings is displayed on a shield with an olive sprig in its right talon and three arrows in its left talon. Around the shield is a band inscribed with the mottos IN GOD WE TRUST above, E PLURIBUS UNUM below. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is inscribed along the upper border and the denomination HALF DOLLAR is at the lower border. Peripherally toned in olive-blue and champagne-pink iridescence, this nicely cameoed specimen also displays a blush of pinkish-rose tinting at lower right obverse. An otherwise razor sharp strike comes up just a tad soft in the centers, but to no detriment. Carefully preserved and solidly in the Gem Proof category, this is an elegant example of a rare and seldom-offered design among pattern half dollars.<p>Only four examples of this die pairing in silver are known, per the <em>uspatterns.com</em> website. Andy Pollock observes that William Barber's Helmeted Liberty design was inspired by a drawing that Christian Gobrecht prepared in the late 1830s.