Coin grades Fair with a bold and fully legible VF stamp. The last recorded 1855-S Half with a Polhemus counterstamp graded AG with a VF stamp and sold for $840 (HA 1/3/21).

James Lozier Polhemus, born in NYC in 1825, moved to California in 1849 and set up a pharmacy across from the Magnolia Saloon in 1850. He was the "Oldest established and legitmate druggist in the city, open all night, selling on a cash basis, and at cost to indigents." (Reynolds, 1964) While Polhemus is believed to have struck a significant portion of the coinage that passed through his till, his pieces are still scarce and have always commanded a substantial premium.