1859 Proof Half Dollar Pattern - J-239

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,760 • PR63 PCGS • 11-2007 • Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-239 is a silver pattern half dollar combining Longacre's "French Head of Liberty" obverse with a cereal wreath reverse that encloses the denomination expressed as the fraction 50/100 or 50 CENTS. The obverse features the Romanesque bust of Liberty facing right. The reverse wreath design includes minute differences from the J-237/J-241 versions: the upper left leaf is detached from the balance of the foliage on varieties with the fractional denomination (J-239 and J-240), whereas it is attached on the other cereal wreath varieties. Struck in silver with a reeded edge, J-239 documents the Mint's experimentation with different ways of expressing the half dollar denomination within the wreath. This variety is moderately scarce, with fewer examples produced than the more commonly encountered J-237 and J-241 die combinations.

Rarity Notes

R.5. Approximately 30-60 examples exist.

Cross References

Pollock-295