1904-S 50C MS61 NGC....

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Sold on Apr 29, 2010 for:

$10,925.00 Bid Source: Internet bidder

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Series-Key 1904-S Barber Half, MS61

1904-S 50C MS61 NGC. The 1904-S half dollar is a coin that should not be a major rarity. True, the mintage was low with only 553,038 pieces struck. But that alone does not explain the difficulty of this issue. The 1905-O had an even lower mintage with a mere 505,000 pieces produced. So what happened? In an article in the August 26, 2003 issue of Numismatic News, Paul Green speculated:

"One possible reason is the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The city was destroyed, the banks where coins were stored were destroyed, homes and businesses were destroyed and the 1904-S had only been in circulation less than two years. Moreover, coins made back then in San Francisco tended to stay close to home.
We cannot say with certainty, but the 1906 disaster is the one unique thing that occurred that can explain the higher prices of the 1904-S."

Perhaps. But it seems more likely that some unrecorded melting occurred rather than half a million coins being lost in an earthquake. In any case, the 1904-S is the scarcest issue in the Barber half series above VG. This is a bright coin that has a light layer of reddish patina over each side that deepens slightly around the margins. The striking details are sharp, but not completely brought up, with the usual softness at the front of Liberty's hair curls and eagle's talons. Each side is minimally abraded with no marks worthy of singular mention. This is a rare opportunity for the specialist in this challenging series. Census: 4 in 61, 11 finer (3/10).(Registry values: N2998)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 24MP, PCGS# 6500, Greysheet# 6603)

Weight: 12.50 grams

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

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