1868-S 50C MS(PCGS#6324)

1868-S 50C MS (PCGS#6324)

June 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: Offered is an exceptional example of a heavily circulated issue in the early San Francisco Mint half dollar series. Intensely lustrous in a satin to softly frosted texture, both sides are further enhanced by light sandy-gold iridescence, the obverse also with splashes of warmer russet and steel-blue patina. Sharply struck in general, accuracy alone compels us to mention a hint of softness along the upper obverse border, but most other areas are fully defined and crisp. Free of even the most trivial distractions, this is an awe-inspiring Gem with few peers among Mint State 1868-S half dollars.<p>The mintage of this issue is a not overly generous 1,160,000 pieces, which was achieved at a time when San Francisco Mint silver coinage was in strong demand for commercial use in the American West. Indeed, the vast majority of 1868-S half dollars were worn out and eventually lost in circulation, and even problem free AU examples are elusive under normal market conditions. In Mint State this issue is rare, indicative of the lack of numismatic activity in California during the middle and later decades of the 19th century, as well as the fact that contemporary collectors in the East were focused almost exclusively on Proof coinage from the Philadelphia Mint. This PCGS/CAC example ranks near the top of Condition Census for the issue, and is the finest 1868-S half dollar that we have offered in recent memory.