Series: Patterns - PR
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#1 PR66BN PCGS grade
Julian Leidman, sold privately on 7/28/1972 - Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part I - Bowers & Merena 5/1999:1186, $4,140 |
| #2 PR64BN PCGS grade |
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#3 Proof details, cleaned and lacquered
Heritage 7/2009:1240, $3,220 |
Judd 343 is a so-called "transitional" pattern that bridges the No Motto/With Motto Half Dollar types. The problem, experts, believe, is that the 1863 Half Dollar Patterns with the motto were made after the motto was introduced in 1864. According to Saul Teichman at www.uspatterns.com (a tremendous resource for U.S. pattern coins), "These and the other 'with motto' patterns of this date as well as 1864 and possibly 1865 are actually restrikes made circa 1869...and into the early 1870s and offered with restrikes of other denominations in complete sets."
A search of auction records indicate that the multiple listings are comprised of six discernably different examples, ranging in grade from a cleaned and lacquered Proof to a PCGS PR66+RB (now in the Simpson Collection).