1839 Proof Half Dollar Pattern - J-97, Restrike

Coin Details

Auction Record

$33,600 PR65 11-22-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-97, Pollock-107, High R.7. Another entry in the "Backward Head" half dollar pattern series, this silver restrike features the same distinctive obverse found on Judd-95, 96, and 98 -- Liberty facing right with a rounded forward bust truncation and pointed rear edge, surrounded by thirteen stars with the date 1839 below. The key distinction is the reverse die: this variety uses the Large Letters die from the regular Seated Liberty half dollar series, as employed from 1842 through 1853. Struck in silver with a reeded edge. Five or six specimens survive, placing this variety firmly in the realm of extreme rarity -- to put it in perspective, fewer examples exist than either the celebrated 1933 double eagle or the legendary 1804 silver dollar. Edge reed analysis by researcher Stewart Witham recorded 146 reeds, which according to data compiled by Bill Bugert of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club, corresponds to production between approximately 1854 and 1860, though the same reed count also appeared on coins struck in 1869 and 1870. This evidence supports classification as a mid-century restrike produced for the collector market.