1873 Liberty Seated Half Dollar. Arrows. Proof-66 (PCGS). Glorious premium Gem surfaces are originally toned in dominant sandy-gray patina, the peripheries enhanced by more vivid pinkish-rose and cobalt blue iridescence. The strike is razor sharp throughout, as befits the method of manufacture, and direct lighting calls forth considerable reflectivity from the fields. Far more carefully preserved than the typical survivor of both the type and issue, this coin will please even the most discerning numismatists.<p>The omnibus Act of February 12, 1873, among many other things, mandated a slight weight increase for the half dollar from 12.44 grams to 12.50 grams. Historians have mistakenly called this legislation the "Crime of 1873," although as John Sherman and John J. Knox have explained in detail in their reminiscences, this particular piece of legislation was one of the most carefully studied in American coinage history. It was only later, as the price of silver fell, that it was retroactively criticized, various legislators said they did not have the opportunity to review it, and so on. Still this nickname remains and is commonly seen, even in modern numismatic publications.<p>Returning to the 1873 half dollar, as in 1853 to 1855, the Mint felt that an identifying feature was required to distinguish those pieces produced to the new weight standard from their predecessors. Arrows flanking the date were again used for this purpose, but only for two years -- 1873 and 1874 -- and no attempt was made to modify the reverse design as had been done in 1853. The Arrows, Motto half dollar type resulted in just two Proof issues and, with a slightly lower mintage of 500 coins as opposed to 700 pieces, the 1873 Arrows is scarcer in todays market than the 1874. The type as a whole is challenging, as well, and the vast majority of survivors grade no finer than Proof-64. Few are as carefully preserved and attractively original as the offered coin. From the Abigail Collection, Part II.
