USA 50 cents Capped Bust Half Dollar 1817
USA, Philadelphia
Rarity
Common
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Krause number | KM# 37 |
| Mintage | 1,215,567 |
| Metal | Silver 0.893 |
| thickness | 1.7 mm |
| diameter | 32.5 mm |
| weight | 13.48 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Creators:
John Reich
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
Flags
Creators:
John Reich
50 C.
E PLURIBUS UNUM
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
The 1817/4 half dollar was first announced to the numismatic community in the October 1930 issue of The Numismatist, under the 'Editorial Comments-Numismatic News' section. It has remained extremely rare for decades, with only 11 pieces confirmed to exist as of 2017. While the reverse die of this marriage went on to coin the common O-103 variety, the O-102 obverse was withdrawn or failed after just a brief press run. The die crack seen on die state O-102a perhaps proved its undoing. Unlike the very obvious 1817/3 variety, the underlying numeral 4 of O-102 was nearly erased from the die. This certainly explains why it went so long without detection, even though the collecting of early half dollars was popular by the middle of the 19th Century.Read More
