1903 Barber Half Dollar
Certified CAM Percentage: 3%
Certified DCAM Percentage: 0%
Almost all half dollars of this date are from slightly polished dies, a technicality that reminds us that, sometime, it might be interesting to write a book on early Proof coins, going a bit beyond the excellent study done by Walter Breen in 1977 (updated in 1987). As is true of all Barber half dollars of this era, the 1903 has a small mintage, in this instance just 755 Proofs. Most of them have survived in grades lower grades than most dates, again creating a remarkable opportunity.
The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the August 2011 Chicago ANA Auction, where it realized $5,462.