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Images courtesy of Ira
& Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles
Varieties:
Micro Mintmark (see illustrations below)
Recent appearances:
MS-61. Ex - Bowers and Merena
Galleries' Robert W. Schwan Collection Sale, October 26-27, 2000, Lot 1339,
"Micro O" at $10,350.00
Notes:
"1892-O has the lowest
mintage of any half up till 1913-P. However, like the
1892-P it too was
saved and the coin is not nearly as scarce as one would think. This coin
comes with nice luster and smooth surfaces, but often it is poorly struck,
particularly on the reverse. Some well struck specimens do exist, but they
are the exception.
1892 micro-O is a truly rare coin.
Though collectors and dealers alike have been looking for this variety for
years, only a handful have turned up in grades better than AG. The one MS 68
specimen is from the Eliasberg collection (the nicest Barber half in this
set).
The small mint mark apparently came
from a quarter punch. The great scarcity of this variety makes us think that
the wrong mint mark size was noticed by someone at the Mint and the die was
very quickly pulled out of production.
The finest example graded by PCGS is a single MS-67.
Sources and/or recommended
reading:
"The PCGS Population Report, July 2004" by The
Professional Coin Grading Service
"The Complete Guide To Certified Barber Coinage" by David &
John Feigenbaum
"Micro" mintmark
Normal mintmark
Image courtesy of David
Lawrence Rare Coins
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