1904-S 50C MS67 PCGS Secure. CAC....

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$126,500.00 Bid Source: Live: Floor bidder

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Marvelous 1904-S Barber Half, MS67
Ex: Thaine Price, John C. Hugon

1904-S 50C MS67 PCGS Secure. CAC. Ex: Thaine B. Price. In his May 19, 1998 auction sale of the Dr. Thaine B. Price Collection, David Akers wrote of this Superb Gem 1904-S Barber half dollar:

"It is hard to know where to begin when describing a Barber Half Dollar of this rarity, quality and beauty. It is simply magnificent in all respects, fully equal, if not superior, to the Eliasberg and Norweb specimens, the only other Gem quality examples that have been sold at public auction in more than a decade."

It is noteworthy that the coin brought $82,500 in the Akers sale, at the time the highest price ever realized at public auction for a business strike Barber half (Coin World, July 6, 1998). Of course, that record has since been eclipsed many times over, most notably and recently by the 1904-S from the Duckor Collection, an MS67 PCGS example that realized $138,000 in our August 2010 Signature Auction. (Another Duckor coin, a 1905 in MS68+, brought $132,250 on its status as the single finest certified Barber half dollar.) The present 1904-S, formerly in an MS67 NGC holder, also broke the price record for the issue in its first appearance with us, in 2005 when it realized $92,000.
With the exception of the 1892-O Micro O variety, the 1904-S has the lowest Mint State population of any Barber half. In the lofty grade of MS67, NGC and PCGS have certified a combined total of only three examples, with none graded higher. The current coin is the Emery-Nichols specimen. Akers notes that S. Benton Emery undoubtedly purchased it directly from the Mint, and thus it has had few owners since it was struck 100+ years ago.
This piece displays satiny, bright surfaces with abundant luster. The toning is attractive with medium blue, lavender, and golden-brown colors at the peripheries and faint champagne-gold over most of the remaining surfaces. The design elements are boldly struck, with nice definition showing on the obverse star centers, Liberty's hair above the forehead, and on most of the eagle's feathers. The feathers on the right (facing) wing adjacent to the shield are a trifle soft, as usual. The surfaces are immaculately preserved, revealing just a couple of tiny marks on Liberty's cheekbone. Roller marks are on Liberty's cheek, running from southeast to northwest. An exceptional coin for this date and series, and a tremendous opportunity for the Barber specialist. We know of only two other MS67-certified coins, both at PCGS: the Stack-Duckor example and the Norweb-Dr. Peter Shireman specimen. Population: 3 in 67, 0 finer (12/10).
Ex: San Francisco Mint; S. Benton Emery; Walter P. Nichols; Emery-Nichols Collection (Bowers and Merena, 11/1984), lot 830; Auction '85 (Paramount, 7/1985), lot 1242; Dr. Thaine B. Price (David Akers, 5/1998), lot 162; John C. Hugon (Heritage, 1/2005), lot 4237, as MS67 NGC, which realized $92,000.
From The Joseph C. Thomas Collection, Part Two.(Registry values: N14284)

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

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Weight: 12.50 grams
ASW: 0.40oz
Mintage: 553,038

View all of [The Joseph C. Thomas Collection, Part Two ]

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