1839 50C Drapery MS(PCGS#6232)

February 2025 Showcase Auction - U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1083

等级

MS64

价格

50,182

详细说明

Splendid gunmetal-blue and gray toning spans both sides and when examined considerable russet-gold flash appears within the recesses of the devices and fields. The surfaces have fewer handling marks than expected. The strike is well balanced and sharp enough to form the radial lines on the stars, Liberty's hair curls and the eagle's claws. This is the first issue of the Drapery Liberty Seated half dollar, featuring the addition of extra folds of drapery to the gown at Liberty's left elbow. This work was done by Christian Gobrecht, who seems to have added the extra folds directly to the master die, from which a new master hub was raised. In order to balance the new design, Gobrecht modified the master hub by removing portions of the rock upon which Liberty is seated, both below the foot and, in particular, in the area closest to star 1. So modified, the master hub was used to raise another, final, master die for the new With Drapery half dollar type.<p>Although somewhat overshadowed by the 1839 No Drapery because of that issue's status as a one year type, the 1839 Drapery is nearly on par as a condition rarity. Indeed, Randy Wiley and Bill Bugert (<em>The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars</em>, 1993) rank Mint State survivors of these two issues as Rarity-6- and Rarity-5+, respectively. The present example is one of the finest that we have had the privilege of bringing to auction in recent years. For the first year type collector or Liberty Seated half dollar specialist, this is a significant bidding opportunity, as once sold it may be many years before this upper end MS-64 returns to the open market.