1879 50C Liberty Seated Half Dollar PCGS PR67+ (CAC)

Stunningly beautiful—and a condition rarity to boot!

This piece is so beautiful that it is one of the plate coins for the PCGS Coinfacts website for the 1879 proof half dollar. PCGS has graded 1 as PR67+ with just one finer. Collector’s Universe prices this issue at $17,500.00 in PR67+. In CAC, there are 4 in PR67/67+ with 1 finer.

We quote directly from the July 2021 Heritage Auctions listing for this very coin:

This Plus-graded Superb Gem exhibits virtually flawless surfaces under attractive shades of golden-tan, cobalt-blue, and violet toning. The design elements are sharply detailed and the fields are deeply mirrored throughout. Eye appeal is terrific. This coin will be a welcome addition to a fine collection or Registry Set.

Ron Guth writes in PCGS Coinfacts, “Proof 1879 Half Dollars are very popular with collectors because of the tiny mintage of circulation strikes (4,400 coins) in the same year. This puts tremendous price pressure on this date from collectors who seek any 1879 Half Dollar -- in this case, the Proofs are more common than Mint State examples. Thankfully, hundreds of Proof 1879 Half Dollars exist in a range of grades from PR60 to PR64. Even PR65 and PR66 examples can be found with relative ease. Only in PR67 does this date become a condition-rarity.”

The low mintages of circulating fractional silver pieces which went into effect in 1879 put speculative pressure on the proofs; this accounts for the mintage of 1,100 proof halves. Writes NGC Coin Explorer, “As a result, the 1879 proof half dollar is more commonly seen than those of earlier years, and gems are sufficiently available to meet the demand from date collectors.”

This stunning offering from AU Capital Management is a plate coin for PCGS Coinfacts website for 1879 proof half dollars. Photo: PCGS Coinfacts.