I will never forget the evening of April 7, 1997, session 3 of the Eliasberg sale. The Quadrille Ballroom of the St. Moritz Hotel on Central Park South in New York City was filled. Bowers & Merena issued tickets to qualified bidders, allowing entrance to the ballroom. Every notable in the numismatic world was there -- in person, by agent or on the phone. The array of high-grade, fresh coins – all “raw” – was unparalleled. There were 402 half-dollars to be sold that night. Nothing else. The air was electric with anticipation. Louis Eliasberg did not collect half-dollars by die variety. Yet his collection included 10 of the 15 die pairs for the year 1822. His 1822 O.113, offered here, was traced to Thomas Elder’s September 1910 sale of the Peter Mougey Collection where it had sold to John H. Clapp. In 1942 Eliasberg negotiated a purchase of the Clapp collection intact. This coin remained in the Eliasberg Collection until the April 1997 sale. It was lot 1789 and brought $2,035, selling to the late Martin Paul and Ron Karp who had joined forces for the evening. The coin reappeared in February 2018 as lot 3880 in Heritage’s Long Beach Sale, graded NGC MS 64. It brought $4,560. The buyer crossed the coin to its current PCGS holder and placed it in Heritage’s 2018 Summer Fun Sale (lot 3078) where it sold for $5,760 to our consignor, Dr. Tom Sears. The coin is a textbook example of the “Eliasberg look.” Caky luster swirls beneath a protective silver-grey patina. The strike and eye-appeal are first rate. Your collection must have a representative from the most famous collection of our time. Here is your chance!Estimate: $4,500 to $5,250
Auction Ended
High Bid
Maximum Bid
Total Price
$6,150
Reserve met
$6,150
$6,765
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Sheridan Downey, Numismatist 4400 Keller Ave.,
Suite 140, PMB 398 Oakland, California 94605 sdowney3@aol.com (510) 479-1585
