1845-O Liberty Seated Dime. Fortin-101a. Rarity-4. Large Thin O. MS-62 (NGC). CAC.，Offered is a stellar 1845-O, a leading rarity among early date New Orleans Mint dimes. Satiny surfaces support a sharp strike and very smooth appearance for the assigned grade. The obverse is dusted with delicate olive-gold and powder blue iridescence, while the reverse is untoned apart from subtle golden-apricot highlights around the periphery. It is a delight to behold and will have no difficulty finding its way into an advanced collection of Liberty Seated or New Orleans Mint coinage.<p>Trailing only the 1843-O, the 1845-O is the second rarest New Orleans Mint dime from the 1840s. Only 230,000 examples were struck from a single die pairing that includes several significant die states. Degradation of the reverse die during the press run resulted in the mintmark becoming thicker; earlier die state examples are classified as Large Thin O and later states are labelled Large Thick O. The present example is a later striking of the Large Thin O die state with the mintmark not yet distended, but with the reverse cracked from the border to the top of the letter R in AMERICA and also to the right ribbon end.<p>Most 1845-O dimes extant are well worn and grade Good to VF, at which levels the issue is actually readily obtainable by early date Liberty Seated dime standards. Beginning at the EF level, however, the rarity of this issue comes to the fore. EF and AU examples are elusive and merit a Rarity-5 rating per Gerry Fortin on the website <em>seateddimevarieties.com</em>. In Mint State the 1845-O is a major rarity. We are aware of only six Uncirculated survivors which, interestingly, include the only Liberty Seated dime of any type or issue to have received an MS-69 grade from PCGS. The Mint State census for the 1845-O is as follows:<p>1 - <strong>PCGS MS-69</strong>. Ex Henry Chapmans sale of the Matthew A. Stickney Collection, June 1907, lot 1291; John H. Clapp; Clapp estate, 1942; Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr.; our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, May 1996, lot 1132; our (Bowers and Merenas) ANA National Money Show Auction of April 2005, lot 403; Heritages sale of the Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part III, May 2015, lot 98226.<p>2 - <strong>MS-64</strong>. Ex our (Stacks, in conjunction with David W. Akers and RARCOA) Numisma 95 Sale, November 1995, lot 2075; Waldo E. "Pat Bolen Collection. This coin has not been certified as of this writing.<p>3 - <strong>MS-63</strong>. Ex our (Stacks) sale of the Northern Bay Collection, Part II, March 2006, lot 4233. This coin has not been certified as of this writing.<p>4 - <strong>PCGS MS-62</strong>. Ex Heritages sale of the Bob Simpson Collection of Seated Dimes, September 2010, lot 3630.<p>5 - <strong>NGC MS-62</strong>. Ex New England Rare Coin Auctions Grand Central Sale, November 1981, lot 1135; Kam Ahwash, January 7, 1982; Allen F. Lovejoy; our (Stacks) sale of the Allen F. Lovejoy Reference Collection of United States Dimes: 1792-1945, October 1990, lot 233. <em><strong>The present example</strong></em>.<p>6 - <strong>NGC MS-62</strong>. Ex Heritages Rosemont Signature Auction of August 2013, lot 5558.，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier ex New England Rare Coin Auctions Grand Central Sale, November 1981, lot 1135; Kam Ahwash, January 7, 1982; Allen F. Lovejoy; our (Stacks) sale of the Allen F. Lovejoy Reference Collection of United States Dimes: 1792-1945, October 1990, lot 233. Lot tags included.，
