1845 Braided Hair Half Cent. Second Restrike. B-3. Rarity-6. Small Berries. Proof-67 BN (NGC).；This truly incredible specimen boasts a provenance that is only matched by its preservation. A rich patina of plum and midnight blue hues paints each side, illuminated by fiery Mint red that remains most prominent across the reverse. The luster is comprehensive and satiny, offering the faintest notions of mirrored reflectivity throughout the reverse fields. Razor sharp devices and square, wire-rimmed circumferences readily betray the Proof nature of this piece, and the quality of execution is a glimpse of perfection. The surfaces are without a single noteworthy abrasion, though a slender impression of debris below star 1 serves as a convenient identifier for tracing the provenance through future assemblages. <p>The earliest known appearance of this jewel can be attributed to B. Max Mehls sale of the William B. Hale Collection on the cusp of World War II in November 1939. With a winning bid of $49 dollars, the lot was sold to a numismatist by the name of Floyd Starr, in whose collection it would reside until our sale of his impressive cabinet in 1984. Additionally, in the year prior to the Starr sale, this piece was included by Breen in the census of his half cent encyclopedia, noting it as an example of "Series IV, early." Of the approximately two dozen examples extant, this piece is the finest known to either PCGS or NGC in any color designation. For collectors of early American copper and half cent specialists, the significance of the present offering is immense and irrefutable.
