1871 Pattern half dime,
J-1063, P-1198, PCGS PR-64RD. Rarity-7
(4 to 12 examples estimated to exist). This is Longacre's famous
"Indian Princess" design, without stars, one of many patterns that are
more visually appealing than the adopted regular-coinage designs.
This particular example
is from the May 1999 sale of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. collection (lot #1076) and
was earlier owned by Julian Leidman. It is one of only four graded by PCGS
and the only one carrying the "red" designation from that
service. Although it has a substantial amount of brightly reflective
orange-red coloration on both sides, it also has a fair amount of very appealing
blue tint. Some strict graders might, therefore, call this a
"red-brown" coin. Neither of my scans captures the color
accurately, and the very considerable "sparkle" this piece possesses
is lost completely in these photos. Price: $3,450.
