USA ½ dollar Seated Liberty Half Dollar 1856
USA, New Orleans
Rarity
Common
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ½ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# A68 |
| Mintage | 2,658,000 |
| 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 New Orleans Mint once again out-produced its Philadelphia cousin in half dollar coinage. The Crescent City was America's principal port of entry for silver bullion coming from Latin America, and much of this left the local mint in the form of coins or ingots.This issue is common across all grades through Extremely Fine, and even Mint State coins are not particularly scarce. Mint records indicate that 18 obverse dies and eight reverses were shipped to the New Orleans Mint for 1856's half dollar coinage, though Bugert notes that these records are incomplete. Of course, undated reverse dies of previous years that remained serviceable were likely used as needed. A total of 19 die marriages are known from the combining of 12 obverses and 10 reverses. An amazing four different collars have been cataloged, with reed counts of 140, 141, 143 and 148, respectively. The most desirable varieties for 1856-O are the repunched dates (FS-301, WB-102 and VP-001, WB-103).Read More
