1877 50C J-1510 PR(PCGS#61848)

August 2023 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

5214

Grade

PR65

Price

58,800

Lot Description

Exciting 1877 Morgan Half Dollar Judd-1510 in Silver Only Five Known 1877 Pattern Morgan Half Dollar. Judd-1510, Pollock-1674. Rarity-7+. Silver. Reeded Edge. Proof-65 (PCGS). Obv:A head of Liberty faces left with the date 1877 below. The inscription around the border reads **E PLURIBUS ******* UNUM ****. Liberty is wearing a cap, the cap band ornamented with ears of wheat, cotton leaves and bolls. The portrait is virtually identical to that adopted for the regular issue Morgan silver dollar in 1878. Rev:An eagle with upraised wings clutches a sprig with three leaves in its right talon and a group of three arrows in its left talon. A laurel wreath surrounds the eagle, and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST is inscribed in the field above the eagle's head. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is above and the denomination HALF DOLLAR is below. This design is similar to that used on the regular issue Morgan silver dollar of 1878 to 1921. Boldly and evenly toned, both sides exhibit a rich blend of cobalt blue and antique gold undertones on the one hand, and warmer copper-gray patina on the other. The fields are reflective, and the design elements are smartly impressed with bold to sharp detail overall. Judd-1510 is one of the famous pattern Morgan half dollars of 1877, examples of which were also struck in copper (Judd-1511). According to uspatterns.com, only five silver impressions from these dies are known. With one of the survivors impounded in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, only four specimens are available for private ownership. When we further consider the infrequency with which these coins appear on the open market, the present offering is a fleeting one that deserves the utmost in attention from advanced pattern enthusiasts. Provenance: Ex Stack's, via private treaty, December 1987; Heritage's sale of the Lemus Collection, Queller Family Collection Part II, January 2009 FUN Signature Auction, lot 1872, as NGC Proof-66. The plate coin for these dies in the 1994 Pollock reference on pattern and related coinage. PCGS Population: 2 in all grades and categories, Proof-65 Cameo and the present example in Proof-65. PCGS# 61848. NGC ID: 2ADT. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Click here to see Coins in Motion.[“Coins]