Silver-grey with bold luster. The strike is first rate. Note especially Liberty’s curls and the eagle’s exquisitely detailed feathers and claws. A trace of cabinet friction is found – with a little imagination – on Liberty’s cap. The coin never saw circulation. Feathery die breaks on the reverse are typical, even in early die states. The coin surfaced at the 2013 Summer ANA Convention in Chicago. My friend and colleague David Kahn snapped it up and offered it to Dr. Tom Sears. Tom did not hesitate at Dave’s asking price, $18,000. This is its auction debut. The appearance of an AU 58 1807 Large Stars is cause for celebration. I have handled but three in the past decade.
In 2012 I bought Dick Graham’s remarkable Red Book set of Capped Bust Halves. It included an 1807 Large Stars with this royal pedigree: Don Gunnet, BHNC #13; Don’s friend, James Allen, a connoisseur of quality coins; Michael Summers, a renowned planetary scientist, consummate cherry-picker and one of my mentors; and David Kahn, known and respected by virtually every bust-half collector of today. (Dave passed the coin to Dick.) At the January 2013 FUN Show the coin sold privately for $18,500.
A specimen owned by Dr. Charles Link, consigned to MB Sale 42 in January 2016, where lot 9 sold for $17,050.
The Howard Sharman example, adorned with a + sign and CAC sticker. I purchased his #1 Everyman Registry Set of Capped Bust Half-Dollars in January 2019 and found a happy buyer for Howard’s 1807 Large Stars at $27,500.
Estimate: $12,000 to $18,000
Auction Ended
High Bid
Maximum Bid
Total Price
$13,556
Reserve met
$13,556
$14,912
Sheridan Downey, Numismatist 4400 Keller Ave.,
Suite 140, PMB 398 Oakland, California 94605 sdowney3@aol.com (510) 479-1585