A five-figure price was paid by Bust and Seated dollar dealer Rich Uhrich of Hershey, Pa., for the fourth known example of an 1842 Seated Liberty half dollar that has a Small Date and also features Small Letters on the reverse.
The coin is graded Good-6 by the Professional Coin Grading Service.
The top graded surviving example is an MS-64 piece graded by PCGS that Uhrich says is worth $75,000. A cleaned raw about uncirculated piece is worth $40,000 and a PCGS VF-20 is also worth about $40,000.
Uhrich says most 1842 Philadelphia Mint Seated halves have Large Letters reverses and can be Small Date or Large Date.
The 1842 Philadelphia Mint Small Letters reverse was discovered by Midwestern dealer Brian Greer in 1998. The VF-20 coin was the discovery piece.
Uhrich said he plans to hold onto his newly discovered fourth example of the rarity.
(Photos courtesy Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc.)
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