1844 H10C PR66 PCGS....

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1844 Seated Liberty Half Dime, PR66
Elusive Early Proof
Tied for Second-Finest Certified

1844 H10C PR66 PCGS. The 1844 Proof Seated Liberty half dime is an extremely elusive issue, with a surviving population of 10-12 examples in all grades. This remarkable specimen is tied for finest certified at PCGS, and only the magnificent PR67 NGC coin from John Jay Pittman's collection has been certified in higher numeric grade.

Before the Mint began its commercial proof set offerings in 1858 no supply of proof coins was kept on hand at the Mint to satisfy collector demand for the issues. The coins were struck to order, whenever someone with enough political influence (or money) requested them. If proof dies were not on hand for a particular denomination when the order for coins came, Mint personnel often substituted high-quality business-strike examples for the proofs in a set. An early instance of this practice was the 1844 proof set offered in lot 1715 of the Joseph Mickley Collection (W. Elliot Woodward, 10/1867):

"1844 Five pieces, Dollar, Half, Quarter, Dime and Half Dime. The Quarter is very fine, though not proof; extremely rare."

The 1844 silver and minor proof set in Matthew Stickney's collection included four business-strike specimens in the seven-coin set, according to Walter Breen. This practice might be one reason why so many early proof sets were broken up to fill holes in date runs in future years.

Research by Heritage cataloger John Amato shows most proof examples of the 1844 half dime come from the Valentine-1 obverse die. The present PR66 PCGS coin is from the V-1 obverse, with the date rather high and sloping slightly downward from left to right. This piece features a razor-sharp strike that complements deeply mirrored fields. Alternative waves of golden-russet and powder-gray to bluish toning provide just the right finish on this rare and attractive early proof. Population: 2 in 66, 0 finer (6/13).(Registry values: P3)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 235C, PCGS# 4420, Greysheet# 3863)

Weight: 1.34 grams

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

View Certification Details from PCGS