USA ½ dollar Seated Liberty Half Dollar 1856
USA, San Francisco
Rarity
Scarce
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ½ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# A68 |
| Mintage | 211,000 |
| 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
Half dollar rose somewhat at the San Francisco Mint this year, but the 1856-S entry is still scarce across all grades. Mint State examples are extremely rare. Unlike in 1855, the mint did not overpolish its dies, perhaps because the "halo" associated with the temporary master dies of 1853-55 was no longer present on half dollar starting this year. The San Francisco Mint requested and was shipped 12 die pairs for this year, but only a few were actually needed for the small production. Bugert has identified six die marriages from various combinations of five obverses and three reverses. One obverse was used long enough to be repolished, and it is lacking the drapery at Liberty's left elbow. Otherwise, there are no varieties of note. A single collar was used, this having the same 140 reeds of the 1855-S issue.Read More
