1846 Liberty Seated Half Dime. V-1, the only known dies. EF-45 (NGC).Richly original and aesthetically pleasing Choice EF quality for this fabled key date issue in the early Liberty Seated half dime series. Bold steel gray toning to both sides yields to blue-gray and golden-apricot undertones as the surfaces dip into a light. Smooth in hand, and uncommonly so for the assigned grade, with faint traces of original luster remaining to reward the persistent viewer. Discounting the unique 1870-S, the 1846 is the rarest circulation strike issue in the Liberty Seated half dime series, and by far the most highly priced in circulated grades (per the 2020 edition of the <em>Guide Book</em>). Only the 1853-O No Arrows rivals it for this ranking, and that issue is a tad more obtainable. Mintage for the 1846 was just 27,000 coins at a time when there was limited call for new half dimes (the New Orleans Mint struck no examples of this denomination from 1845 through 1847). Al Blythe (1992) assigns a Rarity-6 rating to this issue in EF and AU grades, many of which are impaired, and most of which are far less attractive that the Henry Collection specimen. For the grade, the discerning collector would be hard pressed to find a more desirable example of this formidable issue.<p>The reverse is rotated approximately 15 degrees counterclockwise from normal coin alignment.PCGS# 4336. NGC ID: 2338.NGC Census: 6; 15 finer, just one of which is Mint State (MS-62 finest).From the Henry Collection of Liberty Seated Half Dimes.
