LOT #3542 |
Current Bid: $72,500
1860-O 50C Half Dollar -- Indented by Half Dime Planchet, Mated Pair -- MS63 PCGS....
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Description
1860-O Half Dollar, MS63
Indented by Half Dime Planchet
Spectacular Mated Error Pair
The Subject of a Discovery Article in Coin World Magazine
1860-O 50C Half Dollar -- Indented by Half Dime Planchet, Mated
Pair -- MS63 PCGS. Type One Reverse. WB-102, Die Pair 3, R.3.
The "Weird Vertical Stripes" variety with crude vertical lines on
the eagle's shield. An amazing mint error involving planchets of
two different denominations. A half dime planchet and a half dollar
planchet were fed together between half dollar dies, with the half
dime planchet situated between the half dollar planchet and the
reverse die. The half dollar planchet was indented by the half dime
planchet during the strike, creating a mated error pair. Each of
the coins on its own would be a spectacular error find, yet the two
coins have remained together since the year Abraham Lincoln was
first elected President, and the Pony Express began its brief
service.The "fifty-five cent piece" displays rich steel-gray, walnut-brown, and cobalt-blue toning across the obverse. The reverse displays medium russet-red and lavender toning that deepens at the margins. The obverse has a normal appearance aside from a small pod-shaped strike-through near star 4. The lower stars are lightly brought up, but the strike is needle-sharp on Liberty's hair and adjacent stars. The reverse of the half dollar displays the large circular recession where it was indented by the half dime. The half dollar on a half dime planchet is uniface reverse and shows all of the eagle's shield, claws, and tail, as well as the mintmark and most of the arrows and HALF DOL.
The mated pair was the subject of a February 27, 2023 article in Coin World by Paul Gilkes. In the article, PCGS numismatic director Steve Feltner stated "Of all the incredible mint errors that I have had the pleasure of handling over the years, this ranks very high on my list of favorites. My excitement was palpable as I discussed the incredible state of preservation both in technical grade and surface quality."
The only moderately comparable mated pair we could find in Heritage's auction archives is a 1973-S Ike dollar indented by an unidentified 1.73 gram planchet. That coin appeared as lot 3523 in our January 2008 FUN Signature and realized $40,250. The present mated pair, struck at the New Orleans Mint from Seated dies and offered in today's market, is certainly worth considerably more and has been the subject of intense admiration in the numismatic community. Heritage is honored to offer this remarkable pre-Civil War error, which is unlike any other we have seen.
Auction Info
2026 August 31 - September 5 ANA US Coins Signature® Auction #1396 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
September
2nd
Wednesday
10:50 am CT
Auction Dates
Aug-Sep
31st-5th
Monday-Saturday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
12 Days
4h 37m 58s
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 15
Lot Tracking Activity: 72
Page Views: 475
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid (minimum $29) per lot.
This lot is in: 2 -
Signature® Floor Session - Platinum Session - I (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 3407-3594) - 11:00 AM Central Time, Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
Exhibition Viewing Times, Title Page, Floor Session and License Information
Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions - Dallas
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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