1870-CC
Half Dollar 50C Seated Liberty Dollar NGC AU50 Click on Coin Image to
enlarge
Dear
Fellow Numismatist, Coin Person, this week we added
a new category, simply titled "Rarities".
The Rarities category will list only coins that are
$25,000.00 and higher, in all denominations, metals
etc. Please follow this link to view the 1st category
listing http://www.usrarecoininvestments.com/coins_for_sale.htm.
This week you'll see some amazing
Colonial coinage, incredible gem half cents, large
cents, and early type coins added. Please bear with
us as we will be adding listings daily until we are
caught up. As Always, Thank you for your business!
And now here's our special coin of the week, this
week from America's wild wild west days, a superior
1870-CC 50 cent piece. See below:
1870-CC
Half Dollar 50C Seated Liberty NGC AU50
- $26,500.
1870-CC Half
Dollar - 1870-CC 50C Seated Liberty NGC AU50. When
you research this amazing Carson City rarity you will
find that In its population report, NGC shows only
5 1870-CC half dollars certified at the AU50 grade
level. This is a major rarity in the seated half dollar
series and one that is so nice it will surely not
be seen again for some time. Please examine the enlarge
image option and look closely at this monster.
Please contact me by email
or telephone 1-941-291-2156
to reserve this great coin.
This attractive Carson
City 1870-CC half dollar shows light toning and only
a trace of wear on Liberty’s knees, arms, and
head. The outline of the clasp on Liberty’s
right shoulder is raised as is the garment line from
the clasp to the right side of her neck. The details
of her clothes are sharp. Her foot is clearly separated
from her sandal. On the reverse, only a trace of wear
is present on the eagle’s neck and wing tips.
The surfaces show only minimal abrasion marks with
no other distractions. They are a mixture of light
violet, tan, and gold with lustrous highlights of
silver gray. The colors show the coin’s authenticity.
Christian Gobrecht designed the Seated
Liberty half dollar. The obverse depicts Liberty seated
looking over her shoulder to the left. She balances
the Union Shield inscribed LIBERTY with her right hand
and holds a staff on which is placed a Phrygian cap
in her left. There are seven stars to the left and six
to the right interrupted by her head and the capped
pole. The date is below. The reverse shows the heraldic
eagle looking left. It is surrounded by the required
inscription and the denomination written as HALF DOL.
below. Dentils are around the periphery of both sides
of the coin.
There were five varieties of the Seated Liberty half
dollar. Type 1, 1839-1853 and 1856-1866 (resumed with
weight standard of Type 2) has no motto above the
eagle. It weighed 13.36 grams. Type 2, 1853, added
rays around the eagle and arrows at the date to indicate
the change in weight to 12.44 grams. Type 3, 1854-1855,
had the rays removed but retained the arrows on each
side of the date. The weight remained the same. Type
4, 1866-1873 and 1875-1891 (resumed with weight standard
of Type 5) had the motto IN GOD WE TRUST added to
a banner above the eagle. The arrows at the date were
removed. Type 5, 1873-1874, had the arrows at the
date added back to show the change in weight to 12.50
grams.
Authorized in 1863, the Carson City Mint began coinage
in 1870 and continued until 1893. It was then operated
as a government assay office until 1933 when it was
closed as a cost cutting measure. During its operation
it made fifty-seven different types of gold coins. It
also converted gold bullion and oar into gold bars,
which were shipped to San Francisco for coinage there.
Coins issued from the Carson City used the CC mint mark.
Originally established to convert silver from the Comstock
Lode to coinage, the Carson City Mint also processed
gold in to gold coins.
When first discovered, gold and silver found in Nevada
had to be shipped over the Sierra Nevada Mountains
to the branch mint in San Francisco. This trip was
dangerous and expensive. The Nevada mine owners asked
Congress to establish a branch of the mint in their
state, and legislation was enacted in 1863. Carson
City was chosen as the location for the mint facility
because it was near some of the major mining sites.
Between 1870 and 1873, mintage at Carson City was limited
because of political reasons. The Mint Superintendent,
H.F. Rice was dismissed because of claims that the mint
issued some light weight and debased coins. Rice could
have been executed. This partly verified information
led to frequently seen edge test marks on the gold pieces
of this period. Those who wanted the Carson City Mint
closed use this discovery to urge the closing. Their
real motive was that they wanted the lucrative shipping
contracts to move the oar to San Francisco.
The first coin produced was the Liberty Seated 1870-CC
dollar. A person who had deposited silver at the mint
received 2,303 silver dollars. Shortly afterwards,
gold eagles, half eagles and double eagles were struck.
The Mint did not strike coins made of copper or nickel,
and it never struck half dimes, gold dollars, quarter
eagles, or three dollar gold coins.
Gobrecht was the third Chief Engraver at the United
States Mint. He was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania in
1785. His father was a German immigrant, and his mother
traced her ancestry to the early settlers of Plymouth,
Massachusetts. Gobrecht married Mary Hewes in 1818.
One of his early positions was as an engraver of clocks
in Baltimore. Later he went to Philadelphia where he
became a banknote engraver. He invented a machine that
allowed one to convert a three-dimensional medal into
an illustration. This was an excellent job and Gobrecht
was understandably reluctant to work for the Mint for
less money than he was making at the engraving firm.
In order to persuade him to leave, Mint Director Robert
Patterson prevailed upon Chief Engraver William Kneass,
who had had a stroke, to take less in salary so more
money would be available to hire Gobrecht on a permanent
basis. In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint
as an assistant to Kneass. After Kneass’ stroke,
Gobrecht did all the die and pattern work for the Mint.
He became Chief Engraver in 1840 and served until his
death in 1844. He was famous for his Liberty Seated
motif, which was used for all denominations of silver
coinage including the half-dime, dime, quarter dollar,
half dollar and silver dollar. He also designed the
Liberty Head gold eagle, a motif that was also used
on the half-cent, the cent, the gold quarter eagle,
and the gold half eagle.
In its population report, NGC shows
5 1870-CC half dollars certified at the AU50 grade
level.
