| Description: |
One of the great rarities in all of American numismatics, one of only 635 struck. Even
light yellow gold with a slightly richer yellow tone on the highpoints and nicely
reflective fields. Scattered tiny contact marks, some very minor hairlines, nicely struck
with full detail on the eagle, a couple thin short scratches noted under Liberty's chin.
Some microscopic clues confirm that this is the Amon Carter specimen in a careful plate
comparison, including the centering, a very faint vertical abrasion left of O of OF, a
tiny chip along the upright of T in UNITED, a nick far under the right upright of the M in
AMERICA, a three tiny nicks above the eagle's head—a conclusion shared by researcher
Saul Teichman in his pedigree work on early half eagles. Some dark coloring was apparently
lifted from the surfaces after 1984, but the coin looks as lovely now as then. Indeed, the
surfaces are rich with reflective lustre and the overall visual appeal is superb,
suggesting a higher grade.
Only 11 specimens of the 1815 half eagle can be traced with
certainty, a statement that means a great deal considering that such minds as Walter
Breen, Carl Carlson, and Saul Teichman have tackled the problem over the last few decades.
There are a number of untraced appearances, mostly pre-1925, so there is a possibility
that there is another specimen that has not surfaced in nearly a century but it seems
remote. Of the 11 known examples, five are impounded, leaving only six collectible
specimens. Those museum pieces are held by the Smithsonian Institution (the Mint Cabinet
contains two: the Bispham coin and the Lilly coin), the Swedish Mint Museum (an improbable
highlight in their collection), the Connecticut State Library, and the Eliasberg coin now
held by the Harry Bass Foundation and on display at the ANA Museum. Of those six, most are
in the AU range, though grade inflation has crept in as it often does with classic
rarities—this coin has been off the market and isolated from that phenomenon for several
years. It is the rarest date of the series that one can aspire to own—three specimens of
the 1822 half eagle are known, with only the Eliasberg specimen in private hands.
Any
offering of an 1815 half eagle is an event, as this issue is one advanced collectors have
aspired to own for over a century -- even the Mint Cabinet had to purchase theirs in the
open marketplace, in 1885. Harry Bass did not purchase one until the Norweb sale (more
than 15 years after he started collecting early gold coins with ardor). We are proud to
offer the present historic specimen, once in the Atwater and Carter collections, to a new
generation of collectors, and to the one dedicated bidder who will have the honor of
appending his or her name to the pedigree.NGC Census: 1; 4 finer (MS-64 finest). PCGS has
graded three specimens, which means that the certified population exceeds the actual
real-life population in private hands by two.From the Ellsworth Collection (according to
Breen), to Waldo Newcomer (according to Mehl), B. Max Mehl's sale of the William Cutler
Atwater Collection, June 1946, Lot 1634; Stack's sale of the Amon Carter Collection,
January 1984, Lot 655; Superior/Stack's sale of the Charles Kramer Collection, November
1988, Lot 317; Superior's sale of the Michael Keston Collection, January 1996, Lot 317;
Superior's sale of May 2001, Lot 4040, sold privately immediately after the sale to our
present consignor. |
