USA ½ dollar Seated Liberty Half Dollar 1870
USA, San Francisco
Rarity
Common
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ½ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 99 |
| Mintage | 1,004,000 |
| 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
After a dip in production during 1869, the San Francisco Mint topped a million half dollars this year. Still this issue is slightly scarce in low grades and much more so in grades XF and higher. Mint State survivors are very elusive, and many display signs of die erosion from excessive use. To remove the resulting furrows in the fields, the dies were repolished, and this left them with diminished relief within the shallow design elements. Liberty's elbow drapery and her left foot may be partially abraded from the obverse. Six die pairs were shipped to the San Francisco Mint for 1870's half dollar coinage, and it appears that not all were used. Only two obverse dies and three reverses have been identified, and they were employed in four die marriages. All 1870-S half dollars feature the Very Small S mintmark used in preceding years, and there are only positional varieties to distinguish these dies. Two collars were used in this mintage, these having either 139 or 140 reeds. Aside from the several die marriages, there are no desirable varieties for 1870-S.Read More
