1861-O Liberty Seated Half Dollar. Confederate States Issue. W-11, FS-401. Rarity-3. Cracked Obverse. MS-63 (PCGS). A truly significant example of this historic issue that ranks as one of the very finest known. Richly toned with dark splashes of sapphire near the borders and lighter golden hues at center. The fields offer faint reflectivity and contrast against the more satiny devices. Minor trivial marks show beneath a glass on the obverse and the reverse is exceptionally composed for this grade level. Captivating to examine under a light source. The New Orleans Mint struck 2,532,633 half dollars in 1861, the first year of the Civil War and one that saw significant changes in governing authority for the Crescent City coinage facility. The first 330,000 examples were produced while the mint remained under federal control. The following 1,240,000 pieces were struck after Louisiana seceded from the Union, and the final 962,633 coins were delivered under the authority of the newly established Confederate States of America. Writing in the 2013 reference <em>A Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties, Volume IV</em>, Bill Bugert breaks down the 14 known die pairings of this issue by the governing authority under which they were used. The most desirable of these varieties is W-11, offered here, the famous CSA Die Crack identifiable by the aforementioned obverse crack through the bridge of Libertys nose. For years this was the only die variety of the 1861-O half dollar positively linked to the Confederate States issue. The obverse crack that late die state examples of W-11 exhibit is also seen on the very rare original Confederate States of America half dollar (W-12). The W-11 variety is seldom encountered in Uncirculated condition and is virtually unavailable in Choice Mint State. This piece is tied with just one other example on the PCGS Population Report and none are listed finer. An aesthetically pleasing coin at a superior level of preservation for the variety, this piece will appeal to advanced collectors of Liberty Seated half dollars and specialists in Civil War coinage alike.
