Need help identifying 1838 Half Dime variety
RedstoneCoins
Posts: 217 ✭✭✭
Is this the small star variety, or large star variety?
Photos of both versions per PCGS are below. Thanks everybody.
Any help would be appreciated.
2
Comments
I will vote 'small stars' on your coin... I will say it almost looks like a third variety. Cheers, RickO
Perhaps "Medium Stars". . . .?
For the record, I think it is a Large Stars variety that saw a mild amount of wear on the die before striking. But it is NOT the "Small Stars" variety, since the obverse has not been intentionally ground away, from what I can see. But I am not an expert. That's why I am here to ask for help.
@RedstoneCoins.... Sounds good, but I will wait until the experts give their inputs.
Cheers, RickO
Your coin does not have the "rusty arm", so it is not a "small stars".
It is really about the die rust, not the size of the stars.
Unfortunately the Red Book started using "small stars" for this obverse die variety,
probably because of the 1838 Small Stars dime.
https://www.seateddimevarieties.com/date_mintmark/1838_101page.htm
Valentine never called it "small stars" in his 1931 book - he described the die rust.
See these threads more more info / discussion:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/995123/1838-stars-half-dime
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1001076/gtg-1838-half-dime-no-drapery-small-stars-grade-revealed
P.S. If you post a photo of the reverse, I'll attribute the V- die pair for your coin.
P.P.S. If you are interested in seated half dime varieties, you might like the "Top 100" list which was created earlier this year:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1035720/top-100-seated-half-dime-varieties-list-and-112-page-pdf
Thanks, yosclimber, for confirming that it is not a Small Stars variety. I suspected as much.
Here is a photo of the reverse.
jsut an fyi. that coin has been whizzed. fwiw.
You think the reverse of the coin has been whizzed, or the entire coin?
both sides.
Thanks for posting the nice reverse photo.
I believe your coin is the V-5 die marriage.
Obverse: far left date position, no repunched stars
Reverse: notched leaf, repunched right foots of T2 and A2, no die pits in leaf under ER, no obvious clashing or die cracks
Update:
The Seller has agreed to give me a refund, and apologized for the incorrect variety attribution. Honor still exists among some sellers, thankfully.
You wonder how many of these improperly attributed/wishful thinking, uncertified coins are out there? A flea market seller had two "small motto" 1864 two cent pieces at his booth last weekend; both were large motto.
Anyone interested in buying, feel free to bid:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1838-Half-Dime-No-Drapery-Large-Stars-With-Rotated-Reverse-Unirculated/284064730543?hash=item422393cdaf:g:XlAAAOSwH-Bfn0ge
what do you base that on?
Typical whizzed/smoothed look.
a decade of experience looking at numerous whizzed coins of virtually all types (usa).
if you mean specifics. the devices are heavily affected. whizzed coins, depending on severity, tend to take on a counterfeit look as a good whizzing pushes a little metal all over the coin. virtually every smooth surface takes on a look like worms/termites have been digging out little tunnels all over the place. not sure how to properly vocalize it but there is a continuity of look to whizzed coins. hairlines are not always present/easy to see ironically.