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Sale 46: The Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr. Collection

Table of Contents

$5 Liberty Head/No Motto (1861 -1866)

Lot 664

1862-S $5 Liberty. PCGS graded EF-45. The 1862-S is one of the great rarities of the half eagle series.

It appears that more higher grade circulated examples have been found in recent years as the average grade recorded by Ron Guth and Jeff Garrett was just over XF40. In their Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins that was published in 2006, these authors noted: "The date is very rare in any condition and seldom seen at auction or on the bourse floor. … The 1862-S half eagle is extremely rare in Mint State. Although two coins [now three] have been graded as such, the authors have never seen either example. The 1862-S half eagle is one of the few coins missing from the Smithsonian collection because the Lilly example is actually a fake."

Considering the experience of specialists such as Ron Guth, and Jeff Garrett, it is easy to understand the importance of this piece. (PCGS Pop. 8 in EF-45, only 12 graded higher, the highest grade being a single MS-62 example. Total of 38 in all grades, 9/24/11).
Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.

Realized: $8,000

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