1845 1/2C Restrike, BN PR(PCGS#1281)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auktionator

Stack's Bowers

Losnummer

3003

Erhaltungsgrad

PR67BN

Preis

18.000

Losbeschreibung

This truly incredible specimen offers a provenance that is only matched by its preservation. A rich patina of plum and midnight blue paints each side, illuminated by fiery mint red that remains most prominent across the reverse. The luster is comprehensive and satiny, offering the faintest notions of mirrored reflectivity throughout the reverse field. Razor sharp devices and square, wire-rimmed circumferences readily confirm the Proof nature of this piece, and the quality of execution is a glimpse of perfection. The surfaces are without a single noteworthy abrasion, though a slender impression of debris at star 1 serves as a convenient identifier for tracing the provenance through future assemblages.<p>The earliest known appearance of this jewel can be attributed to B. Max Mehl's sale of the William B. Hale Collection in November 1939. With a winning bid of $49 dollars, the lot was sold to a numismatist by the name of Floyd Starr, in whose collection it would reside until our (Stack's) sale of his impressive cabinet in 1984. Additionally, in the year prior to the Starr sale, this piece was included by Breen in the census of his half cent encyclopedia, noting it as an example of "Series IV, early." Of the approximately 35 to 45 Proof 1845 half cents extant, originals and restrikes, this piece is the finest graded by the major certification services in any category. For half cent enthusiasts as well as collectors of early U.S. Mint Proof coinage, the significance of the present offering is immense.