1928 50C Hawaiian MS(PCGS#9309)

Spring 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

8137

Grade

MS66+

Price

20,400

Lot Description

Uncommonly vivid toning for the type, the typical originally preserved example of which shows muted, often streaky patina on one or both sides. Here we note lovely reddish-russet peripheral iridescence on the obverse, the reverse with a few faint suggestions of similar color. Otherwise silver-tinged surfaces are lustrous and expectably smooth for the assigned grade. Worthy of a strong premium. Among design types of classic commemorative half dollars, the 1928 Hawaiian Sesquicentennial is the rarest and most desired. More than half of these were sold to residents of the Hawaiian Islands and thus passed into non-numismatic hands, resulting in many becoming impaired or damaged. In contrast, the other two key types of the commemorative series - the 1935 Hudson Sesquicentennial and the 1935 Old Spanish Trail - were nearly all sold to numismatists who preserved them carefully. The present piece is significant for both is technical quality and eye appeal, and is sure to sell for a premium bid.