A valuable contrast to the 1836 Original in the previous lot, this half cent shows a very different fabric despite being struck from the same pair of dies. Both sides are deeply reflective. The rims are refined, not soft and curled as on the Originals. The strike is remarkably sharp, bringing every intended and unintended detail from the die. Some hint of a short "fin" or wire edge is noted at the upper right obverse. Circular spots of similar size are seen above and below the bust truncation, smaller flecks are seen between IB of LIBERTY and elsewhere. An oval of darker color below CENT and vestiges of a fingerprint in the left obverse field are perhaps all that keep this from a RD designation, as the color remains bright, barely mellowed except to show pleasing and subtle highlights of violet and rose.PCGS has certified an 1836 First Restrike on only five occasions, a statistic that highlights how much rarer this issue is than the original emission, struck two decades earlier.
