1847-O 25C MS (PCGS#5411)
November 2020 U.S. Coins Auction
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 9106
- 等级
- MS63
- 价格
- 62,948
- 详细说明
- Very Rare Mint State 1847-O Quarter
1847-O Liberty Seated Quarter. Briggs 1-A. MS-63 (NGC).
Remarkable Condition Census Choice Mint State quality for an issue that is elusive even in the finer circulated grades. A vividly and attractively toned coin, both sides exhibit bold reddish-apricot central toning framed by crescents of intense cobalt blue around the peripheries. The toning is iridescent in quality to allow ready appreciation of lively mint luster as the surfaces rotate under a light. New Orleans Mint Liberty Seated quarters are seldom described as sharply struck overall (let alone fully defined) and, while this piece is a bit soft over the stars and the high points of the central design elements, all other features are boldly to sharply rendered. Pleasingly smooth in hand, and sure to catch the eye of advanced specialists in this challenging 19th century silver series.
The 1847-O is part of the sextet of rare, key date Liberty Seated quarter issuesfrom the New Orleans Mint. (We have emphasized the word "issues" here to differentiate from varieties such as the 1840-O No Drapery, Large O, 1842-O Small Date, 1843-O Large O and 1854-O Huge O.) While it is not as rare in an absolute sense as the 1849-O, 1851-O, 1852-O or 1891-O, it is comparable to the 1855-O Arrows, both issues highly elusive in most grades, and every bit as conditionally challenging as the other four. When comparing these six issues, one will immediately be struck by the differences in mintages. The 1847-O and 1855-O Arrows are the only quarters in this group with six-figure mintages. Of the rest, the highest mintage issue is the 1852-O with just 96,000 coins produced. (The mintage for the 1849-O was not even recorded in The Annual Report of the Director of the Mint Director's Annual Report, but is it usually estimated as comprising 16,000 of the 412,000 coins reported for the 1850-O.) With a reported mintage of 368,000 coins, the 1847-O was actually produced in fairly generous numbers for an 1840s quarter. During that decade silver coins were not produced on government account but, rather, at the request of bullion depositors who favored the half dollar over all other denominations. The mintage of this issue is similar to those reported for the 1840-O No Drapery (382,200 coins) and 1844 (421,200 coins) and greater than those given for the 1840 Drapery (188,127 coins), 1840-O Drapery (43,000 coins), 1841 (120,000 coins) and 1842 Large Date (88,000 coins). The 1847-O undoubtedly suffered a higher rate of attrition through circulation than the Philadelphia Mint issues of the era, typical for a product of the New Orleans Mint. Additionally, the 1847-O has not benefited from any significant finds such as the New Orleans Hoard of 1982 which yielded a number of high grade examples of the 1840-O No Drapery and 1840-O Drapery (and also, especially, the 1841-O). Finally, positioned near the end of the decade, the 1847-O may have suffered more extensively from the mass meltings of the early California Gold Rush era that are also thought to have claimed many examples of the 1851-O and 1852-O issues.
Whatever the reasons for it, and there were undoubtedly numerous factors at work, the rarity and conditionally challenging nature of the 1847-O has long been recognized by Liberty Seated quarter enthusiasts. Even EF/AU examples were rated as Rarity-5+ in Larry Briggs' 1991 reference on this series. More significantly, the author knew of only a single Mint State survivor at that time. Current PCGS and NGC population data reports a total of 12 certification eventsfor this issue in grades from MS-61 through MS-63, although we suspect that quite a few resubmissions are included in those numbers. Q. David Bowers' estimate of only four to five coins provided in his 2016 Guide Book of Liberty Seated Silver Coinsis a far more realistic appreciation of the awesome rarity of this issue in Mint State. This is only our second offering for an uncirculated 1847-O quarter in recent years, a fleeting bidding opportunity that deserves the undivided attention of specialists in Liberty Seated and/or New Orleans Mint coinage.
Provenance: From Heritage's CSNS Signature Auction of April 2017, lot 4030.
NGC Census: 3; 0 finer at this service.
PCGS# 5411. NGC ID: 23SY.
Click here for certification details from NGC. Additional image by NGC Photo Vision. Learn more at NGCcoin.com
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