1847/6 50C AU55 PCGS. WB-102, FS-301....

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Description

1847/1-46 Seated Half Dollar, AU55
Desirable Early Die State
WB-102, FS-301, Guide Book Variety

1847/6 50C AU55 PCGS. WB-102, FS-301. An infrequently offered and always in-demand Guide Book variety, one that combines elements of a doubled die and a broadly blundered date. This is an unusually high-end specimen from an early state of the dies. The bottom right curve of a 6 is clear, as is the base of a 4 and a fragment from the base of a phantom 1, all far below the main date. The shield area shows a tripled outline on the right edge and doubled vertical stripes. This briefly circulated silver-white coin offers largely intact luster with only a touch of wear and faint, scattered abrasions. The central devices show solid definition, though the stars closest to Liberty's head are a touch weak. Exceedingly elusive any finer.

Variety: WB-102, FS-301. Early die state, which shows bold remnants of the digits 1, 4, and 6 below the primary date. Later die states show little or no evidence of the misplaced digits. All known high-grade examples reveal a doubled die at the shield stripes and right shield edge (see Fivaz-Stanton Cherrypickers' variety FS-101). The rock shows die work to accommodate the highly positioned primary date.

Population Data (4/15): PCGS shows a single AU55 coin (this example) and four finer, an AU58 and three MS62 -- one MS62 is ex: the Dick Osburn Collection. NGC lists no AU55 coins and three MS62 examples finer, one of them ex: the Eric P. Newman Collection. Duplications are, we suspect, very much in play here, given recent increases in the certified MS62 populations at both services.

Heritage Commentary: Although Cherrypickers' has separate entries for the doubled die FS-101 and the Misplaced Date FS-301 varieties, in our opinion FS-101 is the same WB-102 die pair in a later die state. In our experience, all early die state examples of WB-102 show both doubling at the shield and nearby gown folds (assuming the coin is of high enough grade to confirm the features), currently known as the FS-301 Misplaced Date variety.

Consignor Commentary: The rarest overdate of the series. An early die state as the underdigits of the 1, 4, and the 6 show clearly below and slightly to the left of their counterparts in the date. Indeed there is practically a complete ghostly outline of the 1. Some doubling is evident in the vertical lines of the shield and most of the stars. A decent strike, but a lot of chatter in the fields accounts for the grade.

Provenance: Central States Signature (Heritage, 4/2008),. lot 2311.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 24HA, PCGS# 6258, Greysheet# 310733)

Weight: 13.36 grams

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

View Certification Details from PCGS