1858 50C, CAM PR(PCGS#86412)

Spring 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

3058

等级

PR65CAM

价格

110,248

详细说明

An elegant specimen, and also a numismatically significant one that combines absolute scarcity with condition rarity in an early date Proof Liberty Seated half dollar. Both sides are peripherally toned in soft, yet vivid powder blue and reddish-apricot iridescence. The centers are untoned and allow full appreciation of field to device contrast that is far more pronounced than seen in the typical survivor of this issue. In fact, precious few Proofs of this date have enough contrast to qualify as Cameo by PCGS' strict standards. The strike, while otherwise full, comes up a tad short at the top of Liberty's hair and star 8 on the obverse, as well as the uppermost arrow feather and the eagle's right talon on the reverse. This may seem an anomaly on a Proof from this era, but research published by John W. Dannreuther has shown that, during the 19th century, the Mint struck Proofs only once (as opposed to multiple times, as traditionally believed), and continued to use a screw press for the large denomination Proofs until 1894, despite the introduction of the first steam press for circulation strike coinage in the 1830s. These production methods explain the wide variation in strike detail seen on pre-1894 Proof half dollars. With exceptional surface preservation and superior field to device contrast, the offered specimen does not suffer in the slightest from the minor softness in isolated areas. It is a gorgeous coin that will please even the most discerning numismatist.<p>In response to the growth in popularity of numismatics as a hobby in the United Sates during the late 1850s, the Mint prepared approximately 300 Proof half dollars in 1858, for distribution as part of the year's complete (including the gold) and silver Proof sets. This mintage proved overly optimistic, however, and it is likely that no more than 150 or so of these sets were actually sold. Today, we would be surprised to learn that more than 80 to 120 individual Proof half dollars of this date are extant, very few of which can match the present specimen in quality or eye appeal.