My first Half Dime, 1858-O.
SkyMan
Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'm personally not a big fan of Half Dimes or Trimes, not because they are unattractive, but rather because they are so small. With these old eyeballs it's just too tough to see much of anything. However, once you get them under a loupe they can be very attractive indeed, and I certainly like looking at pictures of nice ones. About 6-9 months ago I decided to build a no gold set (well, maybe 1 or 2) of coins from 1858 (100 years before I was born). Of course that means 1 Trime and 2 Half Dimes. Here's the first Half Dime that has really appealed to me from that year. It's clashed up the wazinga, and Lady Liberty has decided to go on a diet by stapling part of her stomach shut. The colors have a nice iridescence quotient to them. The coin is graded NGC MS65 (CAC approved), and I fully agree with the grade.
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I love the clash marks
Not a big fan of half dismes but I do like seated liberty and the big fat "O" mintmark is cool. Is your goal to complete the 100 years prior to birth set in MS65?
Collector of Early 20th Century U.S. Coinage.
ANA Member R-3147111
<< <i>Nice Coin, Sy!
Not a big fan of half dismes but I do like seated liberty and the big fat "O" mintmark is cool. Is your goal to complete the 100 years prior to birth set in MS65? >>
My goal is to complete it in MS. Depending on the cost of the denomination/date/mm that may go as high as a 66. My one other coin is an MS62 P half dollar, so that's most likely about as low as I'd go. Generally I'm figuring in the 64 range.
EDITED TO ADD: WOW!!! After looking at Roadrunners comments on the next page, I just looked at the rarity of some of the branch mint stuff. It looks like for the S mint 10c and 25c I will be doing AU coins. The O mint 25c I may do AU58 depending on what I find in the MS62-3 category.
U.S. Type Set
WTB: Barber Quarters XF
That is certainly one beautiful half dime. Of course, unlike yourself and a few others here, I have no aversion to the little half dimes; in fact I rather like them. My eyesight is also starting to wane (I apparently have 9 years on you), but that is what good optics are for. With a good loupe and a stereo microscope the half dimes can provide all of the beauty and enjoyment of their larger sisters.
I was unsure of the numismatic term "wazinga", and could not find it any reference in my library, but I believe that you are duly impressed with the magnitude of the clash marks. This is actually not uncommon for the denomination, with spectacular and well known clash marked varieties like the 1860-O V2, wherein the denomination can be easily read not only in the obverse field, but also across Miss Liberty's torso.
I attempted to attribute your beautiful half dime, but with all of the obverse design except the date part of the hub, and all of the reverse design except the mint mark part of the hub, there aren't too many diagnostics to go by. Your coin is just too perfect, with no die cracks or die deterioration to help identify it.
Congratulations on a gorgeous coin. Oh, and don't worry. That sticker will come right off.
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etexmike
You've set a high standard for yourself.
I like alot.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
John
-Randy Newman
I'm a bit surprised MrHalfDime didn't mention this.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
Well, I guess there's no need for me to comment when you do such an elegant job.
It is true that the 1858 Doubled Date V10 is quite rare, but they can be found when you know what to look for. Years ago someone estimated that the 1858 Doubled Date is "ten times" as rare as the 1858 V9 Inverted Date, and observational analysis of this variety would seem to concur with that estimate. Both the 1858 Inverted Date and 1858 Doubled Date are easily identified by simply studying the date area, even on relatively low grade coins. For the 1858 V9 Inverted Date, the underdigits (first struck digits) are visible between the final digits. For the 1858 Doubled Date, however, the underdigits are visible inside the final digits, particularly visible inside the loops of the 8's.
Over many years of searching, I have managed to acquire nine (9) examples of the 1858 V10 Doubled Date, the finest an MS-60, plus two AU's, two EF's, two VF's, and two examples in F grade. For the 1858 Inverted Date, I have acquired seven (7) total examples, including one MS-60, one AU, three VF's, one F, and one VG. One should not apply too much significance to the relative numbers that I have found, however. The 1858 V9 Inverted Date always comes very weakly struck, possibly affecting the overall grading of this variety.
<< <i>Over many years of searching, I have managed to acquire nine (9) examples of the 1858 V10 Doubled Date, the finest an MS-60, plus two AU's, two EF's, two VF's, and two examples in F grade. >>
So that's where all of them are!
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
U.S. Type Set
In the 1980's I was assembling an 1858 New Orleans silver set and already had the dime and quarter in gem (the two stoppers of the set...each of those is still the finest known today but I no longer own them - the dime is a 66 today and the quarter would be one as well if it showed up again...it was graded MS65 in 1990.). I could never find the "easier" half dime or half dollar in full blown gem and settled with so-so MS63's at the time. I sold the set in 1990. When I finally ran across a gem or two of the half dime in the 1990's it was way too late. So this year and mint always brings back fond memories to me. While I can find the half dime and half today, I could never duplicate the quarter as there is only one to my knowledge that is worthy. "There can only be one, McCloud."
roadrunner