1900 Liberty Head Half Eagle. JD-1, the only known dies. Rarity-4. Proof-55 (PCGS). CAC. Handsome honey gold surfaces reveal plenty of mirrored reflectivity in the fields as the coin dips into a light. Boldly to sharply defined throughout. Proof half eagle production jumped dramatically in 1900; the mintage of 230 pieces is the highest for any issue in the Liberty Head series. We suspect that the anticipation of increased collector sales associated with the turn of the century prompted Mint employees to strike more Proof half eagles than usual for the era. If this is true, the anticipated demand failed to materialize for, today, the 1900 is only marginally more available than most other late date Proof half eagles of this type. With only 120 to 150 coins believed extant (per John W. Dannreuther, 2018), much of the mintage was undoubtedly destroyed through melting without ever leaving the Mint. This is a particularly intriguing survivor in that it shows signs of light handling, yet retains ample evidence of its Proof status.
