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 field. 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 at star 1 serves as a convenient identifier for tracing the provenance through future assemblages.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 Two 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 (Stacks) 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 35 to 45 Proof 1845 half cents extant, originals and restrikes, this piece is the finest known to the major certification services in any category. For half cent enthusiasts as well as collectors of early U.S. Mint Proof coinage, the significance of the present offering is immense and irrefutable.From B. Max Mehls sale of the William B. Hale Collection, November 1939, lot 311; our (Stacks) sale of the Floyd Starr Collection, June 1984, lot 872; R.E. Naftzger; Eric Streiner; Kagins; Rick Coleman; our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of March 2007, lot 1092; Heritages sale of the Oliver Collection, August 2011, lot 7008; Heritages sale of the Greensboro Collection, Part IV, February 2014, lot 5000; our Baltimore Auction of March 2017, lot 3001.
