USA ½ dollar Seated Liberty Half Dollar 1854
USA, Philadelphia
Rarity
Common
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ½ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 82 |
| Mintage | 2,982,000 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| diameter | 30.6 mm |
| weight | 12.44 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Star
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
HALF DOL.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
The U. S. Mint's efforts to restore silver coins to circulation under the new weight standard was in full swing during 1854, and Philadelphia contributed nearly three million half dollars. Not surprisingly, these are quite common in circulated grades to the present day, and even Mint State pieces are fairly available through MS 64. The glory of rays utilized during 1853 to denote the new issues was omitted this year, though the obverse arrowheads remained. Both the date and arrowheads were incorporated into a complete master die, so there are no variations in size or position. A peculiarity of this hub is that most design features display a raised outline, what authors Wiley and Bugert called a "halo." This is often mistaken for a doubled-die variety, but the latter would be doubled in a single direction only. A dozen or more die pairs would have been required for this large mintage, but just nine have been confirmed from the combining of eight obverses with nine reverses. Three collars were used, these featuring 144, 145 or 146 reeds, respectively. No varieties are known, mostly as a consequence of the fully hubbed obverse.Read More
