1851-O 10C MS(PCGS#4596)

June 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Commissaire-priseur

Stack's Bowers

Numéro du lot

1478

Grade

MS64

Prix

26 400

Description du lot

Offered is a truly breathtaking coin - one of the very finest survivors of the scarce and conditionally challenged 1851-O Liberty Seated dime. Dusted with pale silvery iridescence, both sides present as brilliant at most viewing angles. Luster is full with a satin to softly frosted texture that includes a hint of semi-reflectivity in the fields, a bit more so on the reverse than on the obverse. Both sides are boldly to sharply struck throughout the design and show only minor signs of handling to preclude a full Gem Mint State rating. The quality is outstanding for the issue, and the eye appeal is strong by any standard.<p>Along with the 1850-O and 1852-O, the 1851-O is an early California Gold Rush era dime issue that suffered a high rate of attrition through melting. These are the last of the "old tenor" New Orleans Mint dimes, produced to a weight standard of 2.67 grams that resulted in the coins' bullion value exceeding face value once the vast discoveries of gold in California upset the ratios in the precious metals market. Survivors from a mintage of 400,000 pieces for the 1851-O are scarce in circulated grades through VF. As Gerry Fortin notes on his <em>seateddimevarieties.com</em> website: "In choice EF and AU, this date becomes very scarce and will present a serios challenge. Only a few example are known in Mint State."<p>This is the single finest 1851-O dime known to both PCGS and CAC. It is also the first Mint State example of the issue we have offered since 2006, and the first certified by PCGS that we can ever recall offering. For collectors assembling a top-flight set of Liberty Seated and/or New Orleans Mint coinage, this offering represents what could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime bidding opportunity. The significance of this coin for specialists cannot be overstated.