1865-S Liberty Seated Half Dollar. WB-1. Rarity-6. Late Die State. Small Wide Broken S. MS-63 (PCGS).

An otherwise brilliant, satiny example with wisps of faint champagne-gold iridescence engaging the peripheries. The introductory sentence for this issue in the 2009 reference A Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties: Volume I, San Francisco Mint by Bill Bugert is terse and to the point: "1865-S is fairly scarce especially in high grades of XF or better, rare in Uncirculated." Obviously this half dollar issue followed the pattern of most others from the early San Francisco Mint -- extensive commercial use during an era in which there was very little, indeed probably no numismatic activity in the American West. Collectors in the eastern states, even if they had encountered an 1865-S half dollar, would almost certainly have ignored it as numismatically insignificant, as their need for a coin of this date could be met by one of the Philadelphia Mint's Proofs. Remarkable to have survived in Mint State, the offered coin is a find for advanced Liberty Seated half dollar enthusiasts, who are sure to compete vigorously to secure it.

PCGS# 6314. NGC ID: 24JG.

PCGS Population: 3; 16 finer (MS-65+ finest).

From the Abigail Collection, Part II.

Estimate: $ 4000