1836-1839 Reeded Edge Half Dollars

oih82w8

I was doing some of usual perusing for AU58 classic coinage and a very nice 1837 Reeded Edge Half Dollar caught my eye and I realized that E PLURIBUS UNUM was absent from the reverse. The motto was used on the previous Type 1 Lettered Edge Capped Bust Half Dollars, but does anyone know why it is not used on the Type 2, Reeded Edge, "50 CENTS" on Reverse and Type 3, Reeded Edge, "HALF DOL." on Reverse Halves?



The motto did not return until mid-1866, 27 years into the Seated Half Dollar series.

denga

Originally posted by: oih82w8
I was doing some of usual perusing for AU58 classic coinage and a very nice 1837 Reeded
Edge Half Dollar caught my eye and I realized that E PLURIBUS UNUM was absent from the
reverse. The motto was used on the previous Type 1 Lettered Edge Capped Bust Half Dollars,
but does anyone know why it is not used on the Type 2, Reeded Edge, "50 CENTS" on Reverse
and Type 3, Reeded Edge, "HALF DOL." on Reverse Halves?

The motto did not return until mid-1866, 27 years into the Seated Half Dollar series.

Mint Directors Samuel Moore and Robert M. Patterson systematically removed the motto
E PLURIBUS UNUM from the coinage beginning in 1831 as they felt that it merely repeated
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in Latin. They believed that the name of the country ought to
appear only once. It came back to the double eagle in 1850 but was properly used as part of
the Great Seal.

It was not until 1873, and a new law, that the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM returned to the coinage
on a regular basis, not just the double eagle.

oih82w8

Sounds like the Department of Redundancy Department, for that time being anyway. If the law that mandated the return of the motto in 1873, it was placed back on the Seated coinage voluntarily in 1866?



I was doing some looking around the motto was removed to indicate debasement;



"In 1834, E Pluribus Unum was removed from gold coins to mark a minor debasement in the fineness of the gold. Once again, the silver coins soon followed, and E Pluribus Unum didn't appear on any U.S. coins again until 1866, when it returned to several coin types, including the Half Eagle, Eagle ($10 gold piece,) Double Eagle ($20.00 gold piece,) silver One Dollar, and Quarter Dollar.



In 1873, a law was passed that required E Pluribus Unum to appear on all U.S. coins when new designs went into effect. However, research of official mint records indicated that mint officials did not consider the provisions of this lot mandatory. Therefore, they used the motto at their discretion when designing new coinage. The same records indicate that Col. Read of Uxbridge, Massachusetts was instrumental in having the motto placed on United States coins."



http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/e_pluribus_unum.htm



I am not exactly sure about the reference above, but there it is.



Lettered Edge Half Dollars had the metal content:89.2% Silver, 10.8% Copper diameter 32.50 mm weight 13.50 gr. (http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/6170)



Reeded Edge Half Dollars had the same metal content:89.2% Silver, 10.8% Copper although slightly smaller diameter 30.00 mm and reduced weight 13.48 gr.(http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/6175)



1837 50C Reeded Edge Half Dollars indicated a decrease in Weight:13.36 grams while Diameter remained the same at 30 mm (http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/6176)



While changes were made, similarly to the arrows added to the Seated series indicating change, minor modifications were incorporated to signal "withdrawal from circulation" to recoup the additional silver?

denga

Originally posted by: oih82w8
Sounds like the Department of Redundancy Department, for that time being anyway. If the law that
mandated the return of the motto in 1873, it was placed back on the Seated coinage voluntarily in 1866?

I was doing some looking around the motto was removed to indicate debasement;

"In 1834, E Pluribus Unum was removed from gold coins to mark a minor debasement in the fineness
of the gold. Once again, the silver coins soon followed, and E Pluribus Unum didn't appear on any U.S.
coins again until 1866, when it returned to several coin types, including the Half Eagle, Eagle ($10 gold
piece,) Double Eagle ($20.00 gold piece,) silver One Dollar, and Quarter Dollar.

In 1873, a law was passed that required E Pluribus Unum to appear on all U.S. coins when new designs
went into effect. However, research of official mint records indicated that mint officials did not consider the
provisions of this lot mandatory. Therefore, they used the motto at their discretion when designing new
coinage. The same records indicate that Col. Read of Uxbridge, Massachusetts was instrumental in having
the motto placed on United States coins."

http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/e_pluribus_unum.htm

I am not exactly sure about the reference above, but there it is.

The source confuses the IN GOD WE TRUST motto with that of E PLURIBUS UNUM. The former was added
to the two-cent piece in 1864 and several of the silver and gold coins in 1866.