1805 Draped Bust Half Dollar. O-105a, T-12. Rarity-6. Fine-12 (NGC).

1805 Draped Bust Half Dollar. O-105a, T-12. Rarity-6. Fine-12 (NGC).，Marbled olive, gold, and steel blue hues paint each side of this remarkable rarity. The surfaces are evenly worn and pleasantly glossy, with just the most trivial marks apparent under a glass. Strong pronouncement remains to the devices, which are uniformly bold and nicely defined at this grade level. The reverse die is failing in a rather dramatic fashion, exhibiting fatigue equivalent to Tompkins Die Stage 4. A full cud now spans from the right of A in STATES to just past the E, and cracks at the first few letters foreshadow another cud that eventually combines with this one. The tops of ITE in UNITED are joined by a thick break, with a thinner crack passing through N into the arrowheads and shield. An incredibly charming and problem free representative of this Rarity-6 variety. <p>This die marriage is considered rare both with or without the breaks at the top of ITE, and no examples are known above EF condition. The Condition Census for the O-105a variety is topped by a pair of EF examples, followed by a few VF specimens, most with problems. The Jules Reiver examples is a wholesome Fine-15 (NGC), followed by the present piece, which ranks comfortably within the top 10 known specimens.，From the Sutton Court Collection of Early Half Dollar Varieties. Earlier ex from Stacks sale of January 1987, lot 1195.，