1845 Liberty Head Half Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS).

1845 Liberty Head Half Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS).，Highly lustrous and satiny medium gold surfaces are enhanced by warm iridescent rose highlights. This lovely 1845 half eagle is modestly prooflike with subtle cameo contrast between the fields and devices. It is sharply struck throughout. The 1845 is one of the highest mintage half eagles from the 1840s with 417,099 circulation strikes produced. Worn survivors are plentiful by the standards of the early No Motto Liberty Head series, although in Mint State the 1845 is surprisingly rare. This is true of virtually all Philadelphia Mint half eagles from the 1840s, as these coins saw active commercial use in an era when there was essentially no numismatic interest in preserving circulation strikes. It is truly remarkable, therefore, that the present example not only survived in Mint State, but that it did so with such smooth, lustrous, Choice-quality surfaces. The Norweb-Bass provenance adds to the appeal of this significant and underrated condition rarity.，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier ex New Netherlands Coin Company, October 5, 1956; our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Norweb Collection, Part I, October 1987, lot 816; our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part II, October 1999, lot 943; via Stacks.，