“An Eastman Kodak chemical engineer of modest means, Pittman had an infectious smile, bouncing gait, close-cropped hair, and an amazing eye for detail.” — David Tripp, Illegal Tender, 2004 Sedately but thoroughly toned, both obverse and reverse showcase warm tones of deep gray, dusky rose, and gold, highlighted with peeks of electric blue and pale olive. The surfaces show extraordinary frost and bold lustrous cartwheel, producing a profound aesthetic appeal. A glass finds some light hairlines, including a batch right of the date and another behind the eagle’s head. Some light marks are well hidden in the left obverse field right of star 3, and a shallow abrasion is seen above the tip of Liberty’s cap. Most stars lack their centers, typical of this variety, but all central details are extremely bold. The dies are neither cracked nor clashed, though peripheral elements appear fatigued and drawn to the rims. This specimen has maintained the top rank in Herrman’s census of the variety for more than 15 years, ever since it last sold in the 1998 Pittman II sale. The Pittman offering was the only auction appearance of this coin in the last 70 years, ever since John Jay Pittman had acquired the coin from his mentor, George Bauer. Pittman and Bauer both lived in Rochester, New York, a longtime numismatic hotbed. Bauer joined the American Numismatic Association in 1892, just a year after its founding, and later became Life Member #4. By the time Bauer sold Pittman this half dollar, he had already been a collector for 60 years and had spent nearly as much time as a professional numismatist. “Mr. Bauer was an excellent teacher,” Pittman recalled after his passing in 1961, but Bauer “never stopped being a student either. He always chose to buy books about coins before buying the coins themselves and he strove at all times to learn all he could about all phases of coins and coin collecting.” Many of Pittman’s choicest gems came from Bauer, a wide range of coins from the United States and abroad. George Bauer charged $3.25 for this coin in 1945. A few of Pittman’s Capped Bust half dollars came from Bauer’s auction of October 1945, but this piece appears to have been acquired through a private transaction. John Jay Pittman relied upon a refined and studied eye for quality, collecting primarily in the years before third-party certification. His connoisseurship occasionally tested the patience of those with whom he dealt, but his approach worked, proven by the array of high quality coins offered when his collection was sold in three sales, from October 1997 through August 1999. Today, among half dollars that have not been designated among the Broken 3, Patched 3, or Ugly 3 varieties, just two 1823 half dollars have been certified finer by PCGS. Among all varieties, PCGS has given only four 1823 half dollars higher grades. Two of those coins are offered in the present sale. PCGS# 39606. NGC ID: 24FJ.
