1802 50C AU58 PCGS. O-101, R.2....

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Sold on Jan 9, 2014 for:

$54,343.75 Bid Source: Live: Floor bidder

Get one of these:

Share this lot

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Sell One of These

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

1802 Half Dollar, O-101, Near-Mint
A Guide Book Series Key

1802 50C AU58 PCGS. O-101, R.2. The 1802 half dollars are represented by a single die pair and are a key date within the Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle half dollar series. Though it only lasted seven years before the Capped Bust obverse and a new reverse replaced both designs, it still was the longest-lived version of the half dollar to that time. The Flowing Hair, Small Eagle design was struck in only two years, 1794 and 1795. The Draped Bust, Small Eagle half dollars, coined in 1796 and 1797, are the rarest pieces in the silver type set and have been the subject of much numismatic attention, including a book dedicated to them.

Though not rare to the same extent as the 1796-97 half dollars, the first two Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle years (and by extension, the three die pairs used to strike them) are themselves keys and present a significant challenge. Ironically, the 1802, which is more accessible than the pair of 1801 die pairs put together, has a slightly higher value in the Fine to About Uncirculated grade range, according to the Guide Book. Collectors putting together sets according to that reference and series specialists must compete for the same pool of 1802 half dollars, and demand for attractive examples inevitably exceeds the supply.

This near-Mint representative has rich patina, blue-green at the margins with a shift to blue-violet on the broad interiors and a faint glimmer of lighter pink on the central obverse. Underlying luster is soft yet insistent, and only modest wear is visible on the high points. The plastic over the reverse has a scratch that superimposes itself on the upper shield; this should not be interpreted as damage on the coin itself. Population: 7 in 58, 2 finer (12/13).(Registry values: N1)

Coin Index Numbers: (PCGS# 6065, Greysheet# 6129)

Metal: 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper
Weight: 13.48 grams
ASW: 0.42oz
Mintage: 29,890

View Certification Details from PCGS