1839-O/O Capped Bust Half Dollar. Reeded Edge. HALF DOL. GR-1. Rarity-1.

An Extremely Early Die State 1839-O GR-1 1839-O/O Capped Bust Half Dollar. Reeded Edge. HALF DOL. GR-1. Rarity-1. Repunched Mintmark. VF-35 (PCGS). With a mintage of just 178,976 pieces, the 1839-O half dollar was destined to become a key date, even if contemporary collectors were slow to recognize its significance. With essentially no collector interest in Southern Mint coinage at the time, most examples entered circulation and remained there, leaving Mint State and lightly circulated survivors largely as accidents of history. Modern collectors have long since embraced the issue, particularly for its distinctive obverse mintmark prominently placed above the date, and the 1839-O has developed something of a cult following. The 1838-O half dollar may have preceded it as the first New Orleans Mint half dollar, but that issue was produced only in tiny numbers as a specimen striking and is beyond the reach of all but a handful of collectors. Interestingly, early numismatic publications even into the 1930s continued to single out the 1838-O as a coin of interest while giving comparatively little attention to the 1839-O. Within the 1839-O issue, GR-1 is by far the most frequently encountered of the five known die marriages. There is also a direct connection to its famous predecessor: the reverse die used to strike the 1838-O half dollars was reused for GR-1. Typically, when evaluating an 1839-O half dollar, one of the first places a die variety hunter looks is at the date and reverse periphery for signs of the telltale heavy die cracks seen on most GR-1 examples. Almost all examples are cracked so prominently that no magnification is required to see them, providing a useful indication of when a coin deserves closer inspection. The present coin is just such an example. Here, the dies were clearly still early in their lifespan, as some of the familiar cracks normally used to identify the variety are present but extremely faint. On the reverse, the crack extending from the rim through ERIC of AMERICA is visible with strong magnification and good light but requires real effort to discern; the easiest place to confirm it is between the E and R. The obverse crack through the date is similarly elusive, though under strong magnification it can be seen to the left of the lower loop of the 8 as it continues into the lower half of the 3. The positions of the date and mintmark provide additional confirmation of the GR-1 attribution. Primarily dove-gray in appearance with slightly darker slate-gray peripheries, the fields are slightly glossy and reveal light blue and rose iridescence under a strong light. There are no individual marks of consequence, and the overall appearance is that of a pleasing mid-grade circulated 1839-O half dollar that most collectors would be proud to own. Jim Koenings Commentary: My Koenings Newsletter #64 (12-15-24) ranks this die marriage as R-1. Graham says 95% of all 1839-O die marriages are GR-1. This is a low mintage issue in its entirety and any collector that acquires several different die states of GR-1 may have a unique collection, especially in grades of EF and higher. Provenance: From the Jim Koenings Collection. PCGS# 6181. NGC ID: 24G7. Click here for certification details from PCGS.

Utropspris:SEK 9.95

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