1846 Liberty Seated Half Dime. JD-1. Rarity-7-. Proof-65 (NGC).

Magnificent Proof 1846 Liberty Seated Half Dime Rarity Ex Gene Gardner 1846 Liberty Seated Half Dime. JD-1. Rarity-7-. Proof-65 (NGC). This elegant specimen is dressed in golden-apricot iridescence that, when more closely examined, reveals intermingled blushes of pale reddish-rose. Reflective fields support lightly frosted, smartly impressed design elements. Free of significant handling marks, as one should expect given the assigned grade, provenance concerns alone compel us to mention a thin, shallow graze low in the right obverse field, between Liberty's knee and star 13. A visually appealing and numismatically significant example of a date in the half dime series that is rare in both Proof and circulation strike format. Since the United States Mint did not start recording the number of Proof silver coins struck each year until 1859, there is no way for today's numismatists to know how many half dimes were produced in this format in 1846. There could not have been many, for sure, since numismatics as a hobby had yet to gain wide popularity in this country. Writing in his 2016 Guide Book of Liberty Seated Silver Coins, Q. David Bowers estimates the mintage at 10 to 20 pieces, a range with which John W. Dannreuther concurs given the estimate of 15 struck put forth in the 2025 volume in his United States Proof Coins series. The later author accounts for only nine or 10 survivors in all grades. This is our first offering for the Proof 1846 half dime issue since 2021; prior to that we had not handled one for auction since 2013. If one were to own just one Proof Liberty Seated half dime from the 1840s, they should unhesitatingly pick the 1846. Some might be rarer, but the reputation of the 1846 as the key date of the decade, based upon the elusive quality of circulation strikes (just 27,000 pieces struck), gives it a special cachet. The present piece is outstanding, and we expect a lot of competition when it crosses the block. Provenance: Property from an Alabama Family. Earlier ex RARCOA, January 1997, privately; Eugene H. Gardner; Heritage's sale of the Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part IV, October 2015, lot 98195, as NGC Proof-64. NGC Census: 2; 4 finer (Proof-67 finest). The corresponding PCGS Population is 1/1 (Proof-66 finest). PCGS# 4422. NGC ID: 235E. Click here for certification details from NGC.

Estimate:$1

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