1840-O Liberty Seated Half Dime. No Drapery. V-2. Medium O. MS-63 (NGC). CAC--Gold Label. OH.Thoroughly premium Choice Mint State quality for this conditionally challenging early New Orleans Mint issue. Beautifully toned surfaces are splashed with reddish-orange, salmon pink, golden-apricot and sea-green iridescence that should be seen in hand to be fully appreciated. Soft satin luster throughout with all design elements sharply to fully rendered. The 1840-O is one of only two No Drapery, Stars Obverse half dimes from this Southern coinage facility, and it tells a familiar tale for early New Orleans Mint Liberty Seated issues. Despite a relatively generous mintage of 695,000 coins, survivors are scarce to rare in all grades due to heavy commercial use. Mint State examples are in the latter category, especially with the quality and eye appeal offered here. A find for the advanced collector specializing in New Orleans Mint or Liberty Seated coinage, and worthy of the strongest bids.<p>Valentine-2 is the Medium O die pairing of the 1840-O No Drapery half dime. The present example shows evidence of die rust in the form of minor roughness here and there on the obverse, most noticeably at the digits 84 in the date. Stars 3 and 9 are boldly repunched. The reverse is die clashed around the letters ME in DIME and to the right of the O mintmark, and there are several light die cracks, one of which vertically bisects the first letter A in AMERICA and another of which extends from the lower border to the right ribbon end.PCGS# 4322. NGC ID: 232V.NGC Census: 5; 3 finer (MS-66 finest).From the Henry Collection of Liberty Seated Half Dimes.
