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Images courtesy of Ira
& Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc.
Recent appearances:
PCGS AU-55 (illustrated above).
Ex - James G. Macallister, March 8, 1944, sold for $45.00 - Ira &
Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc.'s "Benson II"
sale, February 18-19, 2002, Lot 880, illustrated, where it was described
as follows: "1795. O-131, R-4. PCGS graded AU-55. This particular
coin boasts abundant mint luster with a delicate blue and gold toning
around the periphery. Sharply struck, with full curls on Liberty, and
excellent details on the eagle, including his small breast feathers. On
the obverse, the die cracked from behind Liberty's eye, through her ear
lobe, to the curls below. There are a few other minor die cracks on each
side, including one through the tops of UNIT to the last A in AMERICA, and
a thin one up from the right side of the first A of that word.
Identifiable by a tiny scratch from the point of the lower left serif of
the D in UNITED, through the upper serif, to the rim above, and three
short scrapes just past that same letter in the field. No adjustment marks
are present, and this coin is stunning in every way. This is likely high
in the condition census for the variety, as noted in Steve Herrman's
Auction & Mail Bid Prices Realized for Bust Half Dollars from 1794 to
1839. A finer example was sold in the James A. Stack sale by Stack's 10/94
sale, lot 476 for $34,100; and different coin was offered as MS-63 by
Stack's Sale 3/98 lot 482 which brought $10,450. In addition we note an
AU-55 example was sold by Stack's in their Halpern Sale, 5/99, lot 2455
for $11,213. In regard to the Benson coin, we suspect that it is likely
tied with the Halpern coin as third finest of the variety. We also note
that the Overton/Parsley reprint notes the best in their survey as
VF-35...", sold for $19,550.00
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