Liberty Seated Half Dollar

1852-O Liberty Seated Half Dollar. WB-2. Rarity-4. MS-63 (NGC).

A smartly impressed example with pretty iridescent silver-rose toning over lustrous surfaces. Half dollar production at the New Orleans Mint continued to plummet through 1852, when the Louisiana facility turned out only 144,000 pieces. With many of these coins presumably lost through exportation and/or melting, it is little wonder that Randy Wiley and Bill Bugert ( The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars, 1993) describe the 1852-O thus: "The scarcest O-mint, excluding some of the early rare varieties. Underrated. Very few mint state examples are known." Indeed, this important Choice example is one of the few Mint State examples that your cataloger (JLA) has handled in recent years. A highlight of this extensive collection of New Orleans Mint coinage, and sure to see spirited bidding among specialists.

PCGS# 6269. NGC ID: 24HM.

NGC Census: 1; 2 finer in this category (MS-64 finest).

From the Steve Studer Collection. Earlier ex Superior's Pre-Long Beach Elite Coin Auction of September 2005, lot 3757.

Estimate: $ 6000