1877 50C Half Dollar, Judd-1528, Pollock-1696, High R.7, PR65 Cameo PCGS....

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Description

Extremely Rare 1877 Half Dollar Pattern
Four Known, Three Available
Judd-1528, PR65 Cameo

1877 50C Half Dollar, Judd-1528, Pollock-1696, High R.7, PR65 Cameo PCGS.
Design. The central device of the obverse die is a helmeted head of Liberty facing left, with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST above and 1877 below. The helmet has a prominent crest, an embossed eagle design, and a visor with LIBERTY inscribed in incuse letters. Thirteen peripheral stars are arranged seven to the left and six to the right. The reverse features a small heraldic eagle, clutching arrows and an olive branch. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arcs above and the denomination HALF DOLLAR below. E PLURIBUS UNUM is inscribed above the eagle's head. Struck in silver with a reeded edge.

Commentary. Barber's intricate obverse design was apparently inspired by a sketch drawn by Christian Gobrecht in the late 1830s, when he was chief engraver at the Mint. Andrew Pollock notes that this drawing of Liberty wearing a Corinthian style helmet with an embossed eagle is illustrated in the article "From the Drawingboard of a Coin-Engraver" by Elvira Clain-Stefanelli.

Judd-1528 is an extremely rare issue, with only four examples known to numismatists today. Of the four specimens known, one is permanently impounded in the Harry W. Bass Jr. Research Foundation. Thus, considered with respect to collector availability, the issue is R.8.

The early history of this issue is largely a mystery. R.C. Davis was not aware of the variety when he wrote his seminal work on patterns in The Coin Collectors Journal, and there was no example in his collection when it was sold in 1890. The issue was likewise missing in Maris, Parmelee, and Woodside. Perhaps the first auction appearance of Judd-1528 was in the Linderman Collection (Lyman Low, 6/1887), lot 56. The specimen in that lot was part of an 11-piece cased pattern set Linderman had coined for his own collection (see Judd-1536 to read Low's lot description).

That lot was offered again the following year in J.W. Scott's 84th Sale, because Low's sale was suppressed by the U.S. government at the last minute. It should be noted that Linderman died on January 27, 1879. The presence of this example in his collection establishes a terminal date for the production of Judd-1528. The coins were probably minted in 1877, as dated, and certainly no later than January 1879. The next appearance of Judd-1528 researchers have traced was in the collection of William H. Woodin, Secretary of the Treasury under Franklin Roosevelt. Woodin consigned an example of this issue to the 1914 ANS Exhibition. Except for these few scattered appearances, the early record of this fascinating pattern remains blank.

Opportunities to acquire an example of this extremely rare pattern have not proliferated in modern times, aside from a flurry of appearances in 2003 (see USPatterns.com for a detailed census). The present coin has been off the market for five years, and no other example appeared at auction in that time frame. Clearly, the present offering is an event of great importance and we expect spirited competition to ensue when bidding is opened.

Physical Description. An extraordinary strike displays every detail of Barber's complex design. The richly frosted devices complement deeply mirrored fields to produce stunning contrast, worthy of the coveted Cameo designation. Iridescent gold and champagne toning highlight the undisturbed surfaces. The combination of all these aesthetic qualities creates unsurpassed eye appeal. No other example of this fantastic pattern has been certified at the Gem Cameo level by either of the leading grading services (11/08).

Provenance. Ex: King Farouk; Palace Collections of Egypt (Sotheby's, 2/1954), lot 1974; Gaston DiBello (Stack's, 5/1970), lot 392; Byron Johnson (Hughes, 11/1979); K. Goldman; Classics Sale (American Numismatic Rarities, 12/2003), lot 306.
From The Lemus Collection, Queller Family Collection Part Two.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 2AEC, PCGS# 61868, Greysheet# 14758)

View all of [The Lemus Collection, Queller Family Collection Part Two ]

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