1858 $5 MS(PCGS#8276)

The May 2013 ANA National Money Show

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1326

等级

MS66

价格

326,932

详细说明

1858 Liberty Half Eagle. MS-66 * (NGC). This 1858 half eagle has satiny deep honey-gold surfaces that exhibit pale olive and peach&nbsp;iridescence&nbsp;along with richly satisfying luster that seemingly glows from within. The surfaces are pristine to the unaided eye, and low magnification does little to dispel that notion. The present sparkling Gem is finer overall than the beautiful MS-64 Bass specimen (Bowers and Merena, October 1999:1104), that coin called "incredible" at the time of its sale.&nbsp;Typical strike for a half eagle of the era, some weakness at the centers but bold at the peripheries. No doubt among the earliest of the 15,136 examples of the date struck, as low magnification reveals innumerable faint <em>raised </em>die polish lines in the fields that run&nbsp;diagonally&nbsp;across the obverse and vertically across the reverse; these would have faded quickly with die wear.&nbsp;The typical survivor from the mintage is apt to be VF to EF, but only occasionally AU, and rarely in Mint State. The present Gem represents <em><strong>the finest certified example of the date from any major&nbsp;third-party grading service, </strong></em>and the only example of the date in any grade awarded the "*" designation by NGC.<em>&nbsp;</em>Collectors often consider Philadelphia Mint half eagles of the era as common, and in certain circulated grades they seemingly approach that availability level, but most of the dates are&nbsp;actually&nbsp;quite&nbsp;scarce&nbsp;to downright rare in Mint State. The 1858 half eagle is one of those dates that escalates rapidly in rarity -- and value -- the further up the grading scale you set your sights. If the "finest of the fine" is your ultimate goal, your search ends here.