BG- 428 G50C 1853 California Fractional, Liberty Round PCGS MS62 R3

BG-428, 1853 G50C Liberty Head Round, R3 

• 1853 Gold 50C Liberty Head Round, Rarity-3.
• Period One - circulating issues between 1852 and 1856.
• Redbook Type:
• RedBook Collectors Sequence: RB-
• Made by Antoine Louis Nouizillet.

Obverse: 13 stars; bust point close to 1st star; coronet between 5th & 6th stars; 14 coronet beads. Sharp pointed dentils which help distinguish it from BG429

Reverse:  HALF DOL. CALIFORNIA GOLD outside of wreath. 7 berries on each branch. The date ‘1853’ is within the wreath.

CCJ 5; EML 10; Burnie 17; Lee 7A; D 326.

• Die State-1: Perfect dies.
• Die State-2: Crack through top of wreath, through 5 to right side of bow.
• Die State-3: Obverse rim breaks at upper right. ‘It is not clear to me if this is a real die stage, or just a substantial “wire rim” with a slightly offset die” as per Mike Locke.

Historical Note: One example was recovered by divers from the S.S. Winfield Scott shipwreck. The S.S. Winfield Scott was operated by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company to carry passengers and cargo between San Francisco and Panama.  On December 1, 1853, she left San Francisco bound for Panama with about 400 passengers and $884,861.50 in treasure.  Two days out she was caught in a storm and ran aground 30 miles west of Santa Barbara.  The passengers and most of the treasure were rescued.  What remained were mainly items of small value abandoned by the passengers in their haste to evacuate the sinking ship.