USA ½ dollar Seated Liberty Half Dollar 1851
USA, Philadelphia
Rarity
Scarce
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ½ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 68 |
| Mintage | 200,750 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| diameter | 30.6 mm |
| weight | 13.36 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Star
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
HALF DOL.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
With the bullion value of a half dollar being several cents over its face value in 1851, these coins failed to circulate domestically, causing much hardship in daily commerce. The effect of this situation is seen in the small number coined, most of which were immediately exported and subsequently melted overseas. The 1851(P) half dollar is scarce to rare across all grades, though its non-circulating status at the time has resulted in a disproportionate population of Mint State or About Uncirculated survivors. A few gems have been certified of this entry, which was well made overall. There are eight known die marriages, these being the product of four obverse and five reverse dies. This is a bit more than one would expect of such a low mintage, but these coins were likely made at different times during the year. All were coined with a collar having 145 reeds. Some good varieties exist for the collector, though the value of this issue by date/mint alone makes variety collecting quite a luxury. Two repunched dates are known, along with a misplaced date.Read More
