1815/2 50C O-101, R.1, MS65 PCGS....

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1815/2 Half Dollar, MS65
Likely Third Finest Known O-101
Ex: Dunham-Hawn-Pogue

1815/2 50C O-101, R.1, MS65 PCGS. Ex: O'Neal. This Gem example of the famous 1815/2 half dollar rarity first came to the attention of the numismatic community when it appeared as lot 700 in the June 1941 B. Max Mehl auction of the remarkable William F. Dunham Collection. Mehl described the coin as "1815 over '12, as all are. Beautiful perfect Uncirculated specimen. A rare date, but in this remarkable condition, it is of excessive rarity. As choice a specimen of this half dollar as I have ever seen in my forty years of numismatic experience. ... I doubt if as many as a half dozen 1815 half dollars exist in really Uncirculated condition." The Stack's cataloger for its Alto Collection appearance added, "it must be the finest we've ever handled."

It is little wonder that great numismatists such as William Dunham, Reed Hawn, Douglas Noblet, and D. Brent Pogue are prior owners. The present Gem is likely the third finest known, trailing the MS66+ NGC example we offered in our August 2012 Signature, and a PCGS MS66 specimen photographed at PCGS CoinFacts. All three pieces are the O-101 die state, without the rising crack through 50 that distinguishes O-101a. According to Stephen J. Herrman's Spring 2022 Revision, the single finest O-101a is the Eliasberg specimen, graded MS65 Uncertified in the April 1997 Bowers and Merena catalog.

The coin displays rich shades of autumn-brown, lavender-gray, and cobalt-blue near the rims, though portions of the portrait and fields are close to brilliant. The strike is sharp in the centers of stars 5 through 13. No marks are apparent, and the sole identifiers are brief narrow toning streaks on the field near the jaw. Population: 1 in 65, 1 finer (10/22).
Ex: William F. Dunham Collection (B. Max Mehl, 6/1941), lot 700; Alto Collection (Stack's, 12/1970), lot 826; United States Coins (Stack's, 5/1975), lot 867; Foreign Gold Coins (Stack's, 3/1982), lot 840; Reed Hawn Collection (Stack's, 10/1993), lot 685; Chris Napolitano; Douglas L. Noblet Collection; Rarities Sale (Bowers and Merena, 1/1999), lot 26; D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part II (Stack's Bowers, 9/2015), lot 2019.
The Jim O'Neal Collection of U.S. Half Dollar Types.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 24F5, Variety PCGS# 39491, Base PCGS# 6108, Greysheet# 193806)

Weight: 13.48 grams

Metal: 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper

View all of [The Jim O'Neal Collection of U.S. Half Dollar Types ]

View Certification Details from PCGS