1842 Liberty Seated Half Dime. V-1A. MS-66 (PCGS). CAC.Lightly and attractively toned in iridescent heather-gray and powder blue, this charming Gem is fully lustrous with a smooth, frosty texture to the surfaces. The dies delivered a firm strike with bold to sharp detail throughout the design. The Philadelphia Mints production of circulation strike half dimes in 1842 equaled that of the New Orleans facility in 1841: 815,000 coins. As a "Northern" issue, the 1842 was saved in greater numbers and is more frequently encountered in Mint State than the 1841-O. This issue is still scarce relative to the truly common date coins in this series, and premium quality Gems such as this are nothing short of rare.<p>This coin was struck from the same dies that the Mint used to strike the rare Proof 1842 half dimes. It is the circulation strike die state, if you will, of the Valentine-1 dies, designated V-1A by the author in his 1931 reference on this series. The obverse die is identifiable by tiny defects at stars 1 through 5, 9, 10 and 12 (Valentine says star 11, but studying both the Proofs and the present example confirms that star 12 was meant). The digit 2 is slightly lower than the 184, and there is a tiny die defect deep within the denticles below the 4. The reverse is an early die state of the V-1A attribution without most of the crack described by Valentine, only the faint beginning of a crack from the letter F in OF to the stem of the berry above. This crack would eventually extend up to the letter O in OF and down through the letter E in DIME to the lower border, per Valentine.PCGS# 4330. NGC ID: 2332.PCGS Population: 7; 3 finer (MS-67 finest).From the Henry Collection of Liberty Seated Half Dimes. Earlier ex Pinnacle Rarities, March 2010; Eugene H. Gardner; Heritages sale of the Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part III, May 2015, lot 91862.
