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Upgrade to my Registry Sets - 1908 Half Centavo, NGC PF65 Red

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JAA

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Last night I entered the newest acquisition to my USA/Philippine Registry Sets.

The new acquisition is a NGC 1908 PF65 Red Half Centavo that I purchased from Cookie Jar Collectibles in their Philippine Mail Bid Sale XVI. I used this little GEM to upgrade the 1903 - 1908 Half Centavo slot in my prize winning (2011 Best Presented Set Award)USA/Philippine Type Set. If you have not visited by Registry set lately please click on the following link:

http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/registry/coins/SetListing.aspx?PeopleSetID=51257

While my USA/Philippine Type set is still a work in progress (I am always on the lookout for nice upgrades and new historical information to add to my descriptions) it is 100% complete,and has a photo and description for every coin, as well as a general introduction to this historically important series.

Full red gem quality proof Half Centavos are extremely rare and elusive and this little Gem has Full Red Brilliance. The 1908 Half Centavo is a PROOF ONLY ISSUE with a mintage of 500 coins. The NGC population for the 1908 Half Centavo in Proof 65 Red is six coins with only three specimens graded higher. The combined NGC/PCGS population for the 1908 Half Centavo in PF65 Red is 14 coins with 10 specimens graded higher. The Estimated Number of Surviving Specimens of this coin in PF65 Red or higher is 30 giving it a Grade Rarity of 8.9 - EXTREMELY RARE.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION about the 1903 - 1908 USA/Philippine Half Centavo:

Specifications: Bronze (95% copper, 5% zinc and tin), 40 Grains, 17.5 mm.

The Half Centavo was designed by Melicio Figueroa. The obverse design shows a young Filipino male seated next to an anvil holding a hammer in his right hand, his left arm raised, and in the background to his left is a billowing volcano. The reverse design depicts an eagle with spread wings perched atop an American shield.

Business strikes of the Half Centavo coin were struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1903 (12,084,000) and 1904 (5,654,000). The Half Centavo coin was poorly accepted by the public and no further business strikes of this denomination were made after 1904. For lack of use over 7,500,000 Half Centavos were withdrawn from circulation. Most of these were sent back to the United States where they were melted and then re-coined into One Centavo pieces in 1908. That leaves a little less than 60% of the origional total mintage still available to collectors today.

A limited number of Proof Half Centavos were produced at the Philadelphia mint from 1903 through 1906 and again in 1908. The mintage figures for proof Half Centavos is as follows:1903 (2,558), 1904 (1,355), 1905 (471), 1906 (500), and 1908 (500). The 1905, 1906, and 1908 Half Centavos were PROOF ONLY ISSUES.

The coin pictured in this Journal entry is the 1905 PF64 Half Centavo that was in the 1903 - 1908 Half Centavo slot prior to the upgrade. I plan to send my 1908 PF65 Red Half Centavo to NGC for one of their new High Resolution images and a PHOTO PROOF. When I get the images back from NGC I will post them in a Journal entry.

The 1905 Half Centavo is a PROOF ONLY ISSUE with a mintage of 471 coins. The PCGS population for the 1905 Half Centavos in PF-64 RED is 2 coins with only 4 specimens graded higher. The combined (NGC, PCGS, ANACS) certified population for this coin is 4/6. This specimen is a flashy golden red near-gem from the Louis E. Eliasberg Sr. Collection.

REFERENCES:

NGC on line Population Census (1/30/2012)

NGC COIN EXPLORER (1/30/2012)

PCGS on line Population Census (1/30/2012)

PCGS COIN FACTS (1/30/2012)

United States Territorial Coinage For The Philippine Islands by Neil Shafer (Whitman Publishing Company 1961)

U.S./Philippine Coins 6th Edition 2008-2009 by Lyman L. Allen (Lyman Allen Rare Coins 2007)

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