Canada: Victoria 50 Cents 1871-H,...

Description

Distinguished 1871-H Victoria 50 Cents MS67

Victoria 50 Cents 1871-H, KM6, MS67 PCGS, Ex: Brown-Grossman. With only 45,000 pieces coined, the 1871-H Victoria 50 Cents, the first Heaton production, has the lowest mintage among the early-series issues. The low original production notwithstanding, this truly phenomenal Superb Gem coin has the dual distinction of being not only the single finest graded of the issue by three grade points, it is also the single finest PCGS-certified example of the entire Victoria 50 Cents type (7/09). Like most of the coins in this remarkable collection, this piece offers original old-time patina, here in shades of lilac and violet, with accents of blue on the obverse, while the reverse adds splashes of vivid amber-gold near the rims. The surfaces are incredibly smooth, as expected of the grade. Although this piece is not a Specimen coin, it clearly is a first strike from fresh dies--possibly a presentation piece to mark the beginning of the Heaton production?--and a coin that has been lovingly and carefully preserved ever since its production in Birmingham, England, nearly a century and a half ago. There are essentially no distractions, or even remote signs of contact, on either side, and we cannot overstate the tremendous eye appeal this piece will generate in the eyes of each and every viewer. For pedigree purposes, we note a small, curving lintmark or strike-through on the Queen's cheek, as made.

By way of comparison, two of the most notable Canadian collections in recent decades, the Belzberg and Pittman collections, had examples of substantially lower quality. The Belzberg coin (Heritage, 1/2003, lot 15473) was an MS63 (with only three certified finer at PCGS, including this piece) and quite rare as such; the Pittman Collection offered two examples, one XF and one VF (Akers, 8/1998, lots 2363 and 2364). Another distinguished coin in this noteworthy assemblage whose importance simply cannot be overstated.
From the Canadiana Collection

More information about Canadian Coins. See also: Canada World Coin Nationality.

View Certification Details from PCGS