US Patterns- WHAT U.S. COINAGE COULD HAVE BEEN
J-391 50C Liberty Seated Rev IN GOD WE TRUST In Silver

Owner Comments:

1864 50C Half Dollar,
Judd-391, Pollock-459
Rarity: Low R.7, PR64

Struck in Silver with a reeded edge

Obverse: Struck from the regular obverse die for the Liberty Seated Half Dollar of the year 1864
Reverse: Paired with the regular reverse die of 1866 with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST above the eagle.

Comment:
Warmly patinated on both sides, the surfaces are layered in generally even silver-olive iridescence. More direct angles reveal some variation to the toning, generally in the form of mottled pale gold, apricot, and silver undertones. Such angles also call forth a uniformly mirrored finish. The strike is razor sharp in all areas, and outwardly distracting marks are not seen.

The uspatterns.com website calls this: "The so-called transitional half dollar using the reverse of 1866-1891. These and the other 'with motto' patterns of this date and also 1863 and possibly 1865 are actually restrikes made circa 1869 and into the early 1870s and were offered with restrikes of the other denominations in complete sets." About a dozen examples of this rarity are thought to exist in silver.

Provenance:
Private Sale ATG May 2020, Prior
- Stacks and Bowers August 2019 ANA - Session 7 - Rarities Night / Lot #5437 (PF63);
- Stacks Feb 2019 Baltimore / Lot #1207 (passed),
- From the Samuel J. Berngard Collection Stacks-Bowers Galleries 3/22/2012 The Rarities Night Auction
- Appears to be the piece in Superior 2/2/1993 /Lot # 1165 ($3875 PCGS PF62)