1849 50C PR66 NGC....

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The Pittman 1849 Seated Half Dollar, PR66
Possibly the Finest Known

1849 50C PR66 NGC. This is another wonderful Seated Liberty half dollar with a long, illustrious pedigree that traces back to John Jay Pittman, who originally bought the piece in 1967 from Paramount for the cost-conscious sum of $550!
The cataloger for David Akers Numismatics, in describing the present coin for the Pittman Collection in 1998, said:

"Fully struck with sharp stars that have all of their radial lines, a full head and foot on Miss Liberty, and boldly defined feathers and talons on the eagle. The edge is sharp and square and there is a wire rim around most of the obverse and reverse. This brilliantly lustrous Proof has beautiful toning, light gold in the centers turning to deeper iridescent blue, russet, violet, and greenish-gold at the rims. There are a few light hairlines in the fields, none of which is more than minimally noticeable, and there are no contact marks or other problems. Most of those few hairlines present are located in the right obverse field and the reverse is extremely high quality; in fact, the coin has the overall appearance and eye appeal of a Gem. There is a triangular die lump at the top of the 1 in the date, and the last white stripe of the eagle's shield is filled. There are also several raised die scratches in the next to last white stripe. ..."

We would add little to that description, since plate-matching with the Pittman catalog makes it plain that this is indeed the same coin and that is has not been "fiddled with" in the intervening decade. All Seated proof coinage, but most particularly the half dollars, from the 1840s are extremely rare in high grade. Most of those dates comprise as few as from four to 12 specimens known. In the case of the 1849, it is estimated that from five to seven pieces are known, of which this piece is likely the finest graded. Although NGC and PCGS have each certified a single PR66 piece, we are unable to trace any appearances of that PCGS coin, and it may be the same as the NGC example.) A complete roster of the known 1849 proof halves is presented in our recent offering of the Phil Kaufman coin (2008 April Rosemont, IL [CSNS] Signature Coin Auction #1104, lot 2391), a PR65 NGC example. This incredible piece presents a significant opportunity for the Seated half or early proof type specialist.
Ex: Grand Central (Paramount International, 11/1967), lot 1017; John Jay Pittman (David Akers, 5/1998), lot 1536; Rarities Sale (Bowers and Merena, 8/1999), lot 205; George "Buddy" Byers (Stack's, 10/2006), lot 1150.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 27TB, PCGS# 6393, Greysheet# 6410)

Weight: 13.36 grams

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

View Certification Details from NGC