1839 Liberty Seated Half Dime. No Drapery. V-2. Repunched Date. MS-67 (PCGS).A breathtakingly beautiful example that is solidly in the Condition Census for the issue. Both sides exhibit beautiful target-like toning that moves through shades of pale gold, powder blue and rose-apricot from the rims to the centers. Mint luster is full with a delightful satin to softly frosted texture, the surfaces silky smooth in appearance and temptingly close to pristine. The half dimes of 1839 are the last of the series without drapery at Libertys elbow, a feature added in 1840 by a revision of the Liberty Seated design. Robert Ball Hughes was paid $25 for die work in this time, leading some to suggest that he revised the motif. With a mintage of 1,069,150 pieces -- generous for the era -- the 1839 numbers among the more readily obtainable early date Liberty Seated half dimes. There are even a number of exceptional Superb Gems known, although clearly they are rare coins in an absolute sense. With outstanding eye appeal to complement its extraordinary surface preservation, one would be hard pressed to improve upon the Henry Collection specimen.<p>Given the relatively sizeable mintage it is remarkable that only two die pairs are known for this issue. Walter Breen attempted to explain this by stating in his 1988 <em>Encyclopedia</em> that much of the reported figure was composed of 1838-dated coins. The Valentine-2 variety is attributable by repunching on the digits 39 in the date which fades in later die state, as here, to repunching only on the 9. A crack that penetrates the end of the rock below Libertys foot and a second light crack through stars 10 to 12 are further evidence of the advanced obverse die state. The reverse die is clashed, most prominently around the letters ME in DIME, and there is a short, sharp crack from the border to the letter C in AMERICA.PCGS# 4319. NGC ID: 232S.PCGS Population: 6; 4 finer (all MS-67+).From the Henry Collection of Liberty Seated Half Dimes.
