“He began collecting coins as a hobby in 1925, and, as his business fortunes prospered, he spent more and more money tracking down the choicest specimens. For years he has attended auctions throughout the country, and on one occasion he paid $100,000 for a single collection.” — Life magazine, April 27, 1953 The name Eliasberg evokes a certain kind of quality that is exemplified by a coin like this one. Beautifully toned, with dominant bright gold and pastel blue enlivened by hints of magenta and amber, this piece shows the richest cartwheel luster and the surface quality connoisseurs have come to expect of the Bust half dollars choice enough to earn both Eliasberg and Pogue pedigrees. The superlative eye appeal matches the exceptional detail, with only a few of the right obverse stars lacking details that were initially intended. The portrait shows a few loose hairlines, of little importance, and only scrutiny finds some minor contact marks above the eagle’s head. The Patched 3 detail is plain to the naked eye. Previously offered as “undoubtedly the finest known,” only in the D. Brent Pogue Collection could this be a duplicate. This coin is surpassed among PCGS-graded examples of the Patched 3 variety by only one coin, the example cataloged in the prior lot. Herrman lists this coin atop his census by virtue of its former offering as NGC MS-66. This coin and the piece in the preceding lot are the only examples of the Patched 3 variety ever graded finer than MS-64 by PCGS. Among all 1823 half dollars, only two coins have ever been graded finer than this one PCGS# 39621. NGC ID: 24FJ.
