LOT #4053 |
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1876-CC $5 MS62 NGC. Variety 1-A, the only known dies. . ...
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Sold on Aug 24, 2022 for:
$96,000.00
Bid Source: Internet bidder
Description
1876-CC Liberty Half Eagle, MS62
Tied For Second Finest Known
1876-CC $5 MS62 NGC. Variety 1-A, the only known dies.As the lowest mintage half eagle from the Carson City mint, the 1876-CC remains a rare item in About Uncirculated condition or better. It was not until recently that a few nice AU examples were added to the Census, along with the new Uncirculated example offered here. Of course, the celebrated MS66 1876-CC has been around since 1893 (and is also offered in this sale), but Uncirculated examples remain exceedingly rare. Where the Census once dipped down to low- to mid-range AU examples, it now begins at AU58, thanks to new additions and some grade inflation. The present example does not appear to be an old friend in new clothing, but rather an exciting new addition to the list of Finest Knowns. This coin joins another newcomer to the Census -- an MS62 -- that appeared in a June 2021 Stack's Bowers auction as a contender for the second Finest Known position. Photographs of the two coins indicate that they appear to be of similar quality, each with its own unique characteristics. A side-by-side comparison of the two coins "in the flesh" would be both enjoyable and instructive.
The rarity of high-grade 1876-CC half eagles can be attributed to the fact that most of the coins issued by the remote Carson City Mint went directly into circulation. Until Augustus Goodyear Heaton's 1893 publication, A Treatise on the Coinage of the United States Branch Mints, few collectors cared about collecting mintmarked coinage and even fewer had the means and inclination to endure the arduous process and expense of obtaining coins directly from the branch mints.
The Condition Census for any U.S. coin changes almost as soon as it is published. As new coins are added, as grades change, as new sales occur, our understanding of "Finest Knowns" evolves constantly. In that spirit, we present the following roster of significant 1876-CC half eagles:
1. MS66 PCGS. Tom Bender Collection. See the lengthy provenance offered elsewhere in this sale.
2. MS62 PCGS. Stack's Bowers (6/2021), lot 2514, not sold. A new addition to the Census; no prior provenance identified.
3. MS62 NGC. A new addition to the Census; no prior provenance identified. The present coin.
4. MS61 NGC. Goldberg Auctions (5/2007), lot 1618, $32,488; FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2010), lot 2190, where it brought $34,500.
5. AU58 PCGS. Legend Rare Coin Auctions (5/2018), lot 715, where it sold for $36,425.
6. AU58 PCGS. Twelve Oaks Collection (Heritage, 9/2016), lot 14101, $37,600; York Collection (Stack's Bowers, 8/2018), lot 1280, where it brought $48,000; D.L. Hansen Collection.
7. AU58 PCGS. John Rowe and Mike Brownlee, sold privately on 8/4/1970; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part II (Bowers & Merena, 10/1999), lot 1207, $26,450.
8. AU58 PCGS. Fairmont Collection / Hendricks Set (Stack's Bowers, 4/2022), lot 5141, $72,000. A new addition to the Census.
9. AU58 NGC. FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2007), lot 3561, $19,550; Stack's Bowers (6/2013), lot 2483, $20,562.50.
10. AU58 NGC. Donald E. Bently Collection (Heritage, 3/2014), lot 30333, where it realized $21,150.
The present coin features a nice, bright appearance and a crisp strike. In fact, the strike is so sharp that the thin, raised die line on the back of Liberty's neck remains fully visible. On other examples, the die line is either barely visible or worn off. A small fleck of orange color appears in the field between the right end of the scroll on the reverse and the eagle's left wing (viewer's right). Arcs of frostiness appear inside the denticulated border on the left and right obverse and to a slightly more obvious degree on the left side of the reverse. The raised "pimple" just below Liberty's jawline, which is diagnostic for the die, can be seen plainly. Overall, this is a pleasing example of this rare date and one that will excite the serious collector of Carson City coinage.(Registry values: P3)
Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 25WX, PCGS# 8340, Greysheet# 9062)
Weight: 8.36 grams
Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
Note for clients in the European Union: This lot is considered by the European Union to be “investment gold”. We believe that it meets the criteria established in Article 344(1), point (2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC and thus should be exempt from import VAT regardless of the selling price. Any questions or concerns about VAT should be addressed to your accountant or local tax authority.
The Confident Carson City Coin Collector
by Rusty Goe
The Carson City Mint’s celebrated legacy — replete with landmark achievements, setbacks, mysteries and tall tales — is covered in exacting detail in Goe’s three-volume set.
by Rusty Goe
The Carson City Mint’s celebrated legacy — replete with landmark achievements, setbacks, mysteries and tall tales — is covered in exacting detail in Goe’s three-volume set.
Auction Info
2022 August 22 - 28 US Coins Signature® Auction #1348 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
August, 2022
22nd-28th
Monday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 24
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 330
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.
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