USA ½ dollar Seated Liberty Half Dollar 1875
USA, San Francisco
Rarity
Common
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ½ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# A99 |
| Mintage | 3,200,000 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| thickness | 2 mm |
| diameter | 30.6 mm |
| weight | 12.5 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Star
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
HALF DOL.
IN GOD WE TRUST
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
Like the other mints this year, San Francisco contributed to the great effort in retiring fractional currency notes with silver coin. As a result, the 1875-S half dollar is common across all grades. There is a generous supply of Mint State coins, too, including a number of gems for the type collector. The San Francisco Mint requested just six obverse dies for the upcoming year of 1875, perhaps not realizing the impact that implementation of the Specie Resumption Act would have on its workload. The number of dies shipped is not known, but 16 obverses have been identified in the Bugert Die Registry book. These were paired with 15 reverses to comprise the 22 die marriages thus far identified. 1875-S half dollars were coined with collars having either 147 or 148 reeds. Four different mintmark sizes were used for this issue, making it a variety collector's delight. Most dies display the Very Small S which debuted this year and is the common variety for it. Also used was a single reverse die having the Small Wide S dating from 1871. The Medium Wide S, seen also on 1874-S halves, is likewise represented with just a single die. As in the previous year, this mintmark is placed extremely low in the field and tilted at an odd angle. Finally, there is just a single die bearing a Micro S which would become more familiar on 1876-77 San Francisco halves. For the 1875-S issue, however, it is rare. It should be noted that dies were prepared in batches, and the appearance of a particular mintmark punch over several years does not mean that new dies having that punch were made for each year. In all likelihood, these were dies that remained usable but had been set aside unintentionally until they were randomly selected in a later years.Read More
