USA ½ dime Liberty Seated Half Dime Legend Obverse 1863
USA, San Francisco
Rarity
Rare
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ½ dime |
| Krause number | KM# 91 |
| Mintage | 100,000 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| diameter | 15.5 mm |
| weight | 1.24 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
LIBERTY
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Reverse:
Wreath
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
HALF DIME
Introduction of Coins
This was the first issue of half dimes from the San Francisco Mint, and there exists some mystery as to why this denomination was coined there at all. The inflated economy of the region rarely priced anything at less than 10 cents, and both contemporary accounts and the coins themselves reveal that most S-Mint half dimes were simply fashioned into jewelry items. Many 1863 S half dimes and later dates from this mint exhibit solder marks on their obverses or signs of tooling to remove same. Undamaged examples are scarce across all grades, and the few Mint State survivors appear to have all come from a small hoard that surfaced in the late 1960s. The coin illustrated is almost certainly from this source, and it is exceptionally well struck.Read More
