1863 $5 PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS. JD-1, High R.6....

Description

1863 Half Eagle, PR65 Deep Cameo
Beautifully Preserved and Contrasted
Ex: Ely-Garrett
The Second Finest Example Known

1863 $5 PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS. JD-1, High R.6. Ex: Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. The proof 1863 half eagle is much rarer than is sometimes realized. Of the mere 30 pieces struck, less than half survive. Recent estimates suggest that only 12 to 14 pieces are known in all grades. Ron Guth's roster of significant examples numbers only nine pieces. The finest of these is the Simpson specimen, which we offered in May 2022 as part of the seventh installment of Bob Simpson's incredible collection. The coin was graded PR65+ Deep Cameo CAC, and realized $252,000, an auction record for the issue.

The Bass Core Collection coin has a much older pedigree, and is one of the most famous proof 1863 half eagles known. It is the exceptional Garrett specimen, formerly among the holdings of Heman Ely. T. Harrison Garrett acquired the piece in late 1883 in a private purchase through W. Elliot Woodward, and it remained in that family's curatorship for nearly a century. To our knowledge, this is only the second time in the history of its existence that the Ely-Garrett-Bass proof 1863 half eagle has appeared at public auction.

The coin is beautifully preserved and starkly contrasted, with exceptional sharpness and rich honey-gold color. A loupe fails to reveal any but the most minute hairlines, while contact marks or blemishes are essentially nonexistent. This is a high Condition Census example of the proof 1863 five and a remarkable representation of the quality, history, and significance of the coins that comprise the Bass Core Collection. Population: 3 in 65 (1 in 65+) Deep Cameo, 0 finer (2/23).

A Roster of Significant Examples provided by Ron Guth of the Numismatic Detective Agency
1. PR65+ Deep Cameo CAC PCGS. FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2010), lot 2193; Bob R. Simpson Collection, Part VIII (Heritage, 5/2022), lot 3607, $252,000.
2. PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS. Heman Ely Collection (W. Elliot Woodward, sold privately, 10/1883); T. Harrison Garrett Collection; Robert Garrett Collection; John Work Garrett Collection; Johns Hopkins University Collection (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 406; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation Collection (HBCC# 1024). The present coin.
3. PR65 Cameo NGC. Ed Trompeter Collection, sold privately to Heritage Auctions and Sil DiGenova in 8/1998; ANA Signature (Heritage, 8/2015), lot 4353, $99,875.
4. PR64 Deep Cameo PCGS. Farish (William Gustav "Bill") Baldenhofer Collection (Stack's, 11/1955), lot 1331; Dallas Signature (Heritage, 11/2005), lot 2421, $69,000.
5. PR64 Deep Cameo PCGS. Charles T. Steigerwalt, sold privately in 1895; John H. Clapp Collection, sold intact via Stack's in 1942; Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection (Bowers and Ruddy, 10/1982), lot 506, $13,200; Westchester Collection (Bowers and Merena, 2/1987), lot 2824; March Rarities Night (Stack's Bowers, 3/2021), lot 4152, $102,000.
6. PR64 Deep Cameo Uncertified (grade per Jeff Garrett). National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, acquired in the year of issue as part of a complete proof set.
7. PR64 PCGS. Walter H. Childs Collection (Bowers and Merena, 8/1999), lot 730, $43,700.
8. PR64 Uncertified. King Farouk (of Egypt) Collection (Sotheby's, 2/1954); Norweb Collection, Part I (Bowers and Merena, 10/1987), lot 872, $19,800.
9. Proof Uncertified. Byron Reed Collection; Durham Western Heritage Museum (Spink America, 10/1996), lot 139, $52,800.
From The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection, Part III. (Registry values: P4)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 28BY, PCGS# 98453, Greysheet# 9175)

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
Weight: 8.36 grams
AGW: 0.27oz

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.

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