1839 H10C No Drapery PR65 Cameo PCGS Secure. V-2, High R.7 as a proof....

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1839 No Drapery Half Dime, PR65 Cameo
High Condition Census, Tied for Finest Graded

1839 H10C No Drapery PR65 Cameo PCGS Secure. V-2, High R.7 as a proof. An extreme rarity in proof format and among the most important coins in the entire Gardner Collection, this 1839 No Drapery half dime is one of only a handful of survivors, and certainly high among the finest graded -- at least tied for the top spot, and perhaps the sole finest known. The surfaces show brownish-amber patina with rose and blue accents on both sides. The strike is full throughout, showing no weakness. Parts of a wire rim appear around the extreme edges on front and back, more prominently on the reverse, a characteristic seen on other proofs of this era.

Variety: V-2. Repunching shows on the 39 high and west of the subsequent date.

Population Data (3/15): This Gem Cameo example is the sole proof in any grade or contrast level certified at PCGS. There are no Deep/Ultra Cameos certified. NGC census data show two PR64, one PR65, and one PR65 Cameo.

Heritage Commentary: Perhaps four or five examples survive of this early proof issue. Walter Breen listed four in his Proof Encyclopedia, but he was far from infallible in such matters. In the final essence, what is likely more important to collectors is not the exact number of pieces surviving (a number that, like any other population data in numismatics, is theoretically subject to eternal revisions) as the fact that this piece is clearly, at a minimum, tied for the finest graded of this issue.

Roster of 1839 No Drapery Half Dimes

1. PR65 Cameo PCGS. Rarities Night (Stack's Bowers, 11/2012), lot 3068. The present coin.
2. PR65 Cameo NGC. The Phil Kaufman coin, which appears different from any others here. It may be the April 1964 Stack's piece, lot 1011, although the quality of the plate precludes a definite match. Phil Kaufman Collection (Heritage, 4/2008), lot 2373; Greensboro Collection Part VI / New York Signature (Heritage, 2/2014), lot
3. PR65 NGC. Adolphe Menjou Sale (Numismatic Gallery, 6/1950), lot 108; John Jay Pittman (David Akers, 10/1997), lot 457; Long Beach Connoisseur Collection (Bowers and Merena, 8/1999), lot 84; Richmond Collection (David Lawrence, 3/2005), lot 1081.
4. PR64 NGC. Paul S. Mory, Sr. Collection (Bowers and Merena, 6/2000), lot 423; Ira and Larry Goldberg (5/2001), lot 472. The Bowers and Merena cataloger states that this specimen resided for over a century in a collection formed by an attorney in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the late 1800s.
5. Brilliant Proof. Major Lenox R. Lohr Collection (Stack's, 10/1956), lot 254; Stack's (1/1991), lot 40; Stack's (10/2002), lot 1155.(Registry values: P4)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 2357, PCGS# 84409, Greysheet# 3846)

Weight: 1.34 grams

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

View Certification Details from PCGS