1839 Proof Half Dollar Pattern - J-103, Restrike

Coin Details

Auction Record

$69,000 PR66 01-01-2009 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-103, Pollock-115, R.8. This copper half dollar pattern combines the regular-issue 1839 Seated Liberty obverse, in the "With Drapery" style, with the Medium Letters reverse die that would appear on production half dollars beginning in 1840. Struck in copper with a reeded edge, this is another fantasy piece produced long after the date on the die -- during the 1870s -- for sale to collectors. Only two examples are known to survive, one of which is permanently impounded in the Connecticut State Museum Collection, leaving essentially a single specimen available to private collectors. Researcher Stewart Witham counted 152 reeds on the edge, and according to reed-count data compiled by Bill Bugert of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club, that count corresponds to production between approximately 1861 and 1871. The evidence indicates the actual striking date falls closer to the latter end of that range, consistent with the widespread restrike activity at the Philadelphia Mint during that period.