Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3041 Sess. 4 13 August 2015
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Costa Rica
Republic gold Specimen 1/2 Onza 1850 SP61 NGC, San Jose mint, KM100. An amazing representative of this popular type, featuring an impeccable strike with all details of the shield on the reverse clear and prooflike reflective surfaces as expected for the designation, with haphazard surface contact abrasions defining the technical grade. Together with the ex-Hammel/Lissner example (Stack's 9/1982, lot 400 and later CNG 8/2014, lot 1549), this coin represents the best specimen of the Costa Rica ½ Onza of 1850 in public hands (a similar coin to the present one is currently housed in the Smithsonian holdings). Both coins display similarly prooflike surfaces and general "specimen quality" appearance. Yet both coins also show differences: unlike the Lissner specimen, the present coin (similarly to the aforementioned Smithsonian specimen) shows a full strike on the reverse's shield, a semi-circled shaped die break at the bottom of the pedestal below "1821" on the obverse, and slightly more granularity on the dies, mostly visible on the Indian Liberty's back leg. These characteristics point to issues struck at two different times: one (the ex-Lissner coin) corresponds to an earlier die-state coupled with a less powerful minting press while the other (the present coin and the Smithsonian specimen) points to a later-die state coupled with a better minting press. Jara (http://lanumismatics.blogspot.com/2011/02/costa-rica-12-onza-1850-from-meyer.html) pointed out that the dies were indeed used for two different issues: in 1850 upon their receipt to strike a meager 522 coins, and then in 1857 and 1858 to strike 16267 pieces (a fairly large number by Costa Rican standards). It would seem logical to link the Lissner coin with the 1 sup st /sup issue (as one of the first strikes from the new dies) and the two other considered coins with the 2 sup nd /sup one. The aforementioned mintage figures also fit well with the fact that most surviving specimens of the Costa Rica ½ Onza 1850 show the die-break near the pedestal. This hardly changes the special status of the present coin and the Smithsonian coin as "special" or presentation examples, since their prooflike surfaces and full strike are never again encountered in among the surviving coins. The cataloguer thus now concludes that these two coins were probably struck as trial/presentation pieces at the start of the 1857 production run, probably to test the dies and equipment before launching the regular minting operation. For the mundane "regular" coins, the force of the mint press was eased, resulting in the ubiquitous weak strike found on surviving coins.Arguably the best available example of the Costa Rica ½ Onza 1850 (due to the complete strike when compared with the Lissner coin), and as such, a coin of immense importance for the popular Central American series.
Estimate: 12000-15000 USD
Republic gold Specimen 1/2 Onza 1850 SP61 NGC, San Jose mint, KM100. An amazing representative of this popular type, featuring an impeccable strike with all details of the shield on the reverse clear and prooflike reflective surfaces as expected for the designation, with haphazard surface contact abrasions defining the technical grade. Together with the ex-Hammel/Lissner example (Stack's 9/1982, lot 400 and later CNG 8/2014, lot 1549), this coin represents the best specimen of the Costa Rica ½ Onza of 1850 in public hands (a similar coin to the present one is currently housed in the Smithsonian holdings). Both coins display similarly prooflike surfaces and general "specimen quality" appearance. Yet both coins also show differences: unlike the Lissner specimen, the present coin (similarly to the aforementioned Smithsonian specimen) shows a full strike on the reverse's shield, a semi-circled shaped die break at the bottom of the pedestal below "1821" on the obverse, and slightly more granularity on the dies, mostly visible on the Indian Liberty's back leg. These characteristics point to issues struck at two different times: one (the ex-Lissner coin) corresponds to an earlier die-state coupled with a less powerful minting press while the other (the present coin and the Smithsonian specimen) points to a later-die state coupled with a better minting press. Jara (http://lanumismatics.blogspot.com/2011/02/costa-rica-12-onza-1850-from-meyer.html) pointed out that the dies were indeed used for two different issues: in 1850 upon their receipt to strike a meager 522 coins, and then in 1857 and 1858 to strike 16267 pieces (a fairly large number by Costa Rican standards). It would seem logical to link the Lissner coin with the 1 sup st /sup issue (as one of the first strikes from the new dies) and the two other considered coins with the 2 sup nd /sup one. The aforementioned mintage figures also fit well with the fact that most surviving specimens of the Costa Rica ½ Onza 1850 show the die-break near the pedestal. This hardly changes the special status of the present coin and the Smithsonian coin as "special" or presentation examples, since their prooflike surfaces and full strike are never again encountered in among the surviving coins. The cataloguer thus now concludes that these two coins were probably struck as trial/presentation pieces at the start of the 1857 production run, probably to test the dies and equipment before launching the regular minting operation. For the mundane "regular" coins, the force of the mint press was eased, resulting in the ubiquitous weak strike found on surviving coins.Arguably the best available example of the Costa Rica ½ Onza 1850 (due to the complete strike when compared with the Lissner coin), and as such, a coin of immense importance for the popular Central American series.
Estimate: 12000-15000 USD