Oh yes! A spectacular cud! But when I saw it listed in a half dime thread I wondered how such a magnificent cud could have escaped my attention .... in my own series. No big deal, but I'm glad we corrected the listing so others would not be misled as I was. Gee, maybe I will start collecting dimes .
They that can give up essential Liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither Liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin
Here is an 1803 small date half dime. If you look at the Red Book listings, you might think that this is only a little harder to find that the large date variety, but that is misleading. There are only about 24 of these coins known.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
@rhedden said:
[1864] PCGS MS66, blue label. Submitted once (by me) before CAC existed. Maybe an MS67 to some people? The most lustrous, well-struck half dime in my entire collection, it is also an early die state with the faint crack at 3:30 on the reverse. According to an old auction catalogue I perused, the reverse die was allegedly replaced with a new one after 100 coins were struck, and the first 100 coins are identified by the reverse die crack. Mr. HalfDime could possibly tell us whether this story is fact or fiction, should he stumble upon this monstrous thread filled with half dimes.
Judging from the images at PCGS CoinFacts, all 9 1864 business strikes have the reverse crack at 3:30.
Blythe (1992) said the cracked reverse is from 1863, and I see it on most or all of the 1863 business strike images at CoinFacts.
This reverse crack was noted earlier by Larry Briggs in Gobrecht Journal #43 (1988).
3 of 13 proof images have the crack, but all three have the high date which is apparently the V-4 (see below).
Also, all 9 business strike images have the double clash, and none of the proofs seem to have it. http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/4447 http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/4384
Here is what Breen wrote in the 1988 edition of his Proof Encyclopedia, which may be helpful if you want to research this in more detail:
Half Dime. [470] Originals (all varieties described below) have D of UNITED closed at top.
*B-4. Centered date slants up, left base of 1 and r. base of 4 well to r. of center of dentils. Rev. Left ribbon end touches wreath, r. end close; die of V-1 but struck earlier. Very rare, probably included in 100 of Feb. 6? 1974 GENA: 1224-5.
V-1. Low date, 4 bold, skirt pendant above knob of 6 and minutely r., left base of 1 and r. base of 4 left of center of dentils. Rev. Same die. Probably comprises most of the 230 struck in February; least rare of the varieties. Rarely found in business strike form. A small hoard of proofs was broken up in 1974.
B-2. Obv. as last, usually with increasingly heavy clash marks. Rev. Both ribbon ends away from wreath; clashed. Sometimes cracked from rim to wreath at 3:30. Proofs very rare: Merkin 9/68:203; Ruby, "Gilhousen":224; 1973 GENA:222. Business strikes are rare; one was in the Garrett proof set, without crack.
*B-3. Centered date; without and rarely with crack from rim to top of head. Rev. of B-2, cracked. Dr. Ruby 1:872. Very rare.
*B-5, date slants more up, top of D open, rev. both ribbon ends touching, die of 1870-71, is a restrike, known in silver, copper and aluminum. See Restrikes and Fantasy Pieces, below.
*1864 Half Dime. Restrike. High date; top of D open. Rev. same as 1870-71, ribbon ends touch wreath. Silver, Phila. estate and one other. Also in copper and aluminum.
My summary of the above:
V-1 low date, no clash or cracks (standard 1860s proof reverse and proof edge die), the majority of proofs
V-2 low date, double clash, rev. crack 3:30 (1863 reverse), the majority of business strikes (your coin)
V-3 crack to top of head, a rare proof variety similar to V-4
V-4 middle uphill date, rev. crack 3:30, minority of proofs (3 of 13 photos on CoinFacts; 2 of these are the same coin)
V-5 open D, high, steep uphill date, the 1870 restrike, proof only
Here is a nice little coin that I upgraded but decided to keep because of its Civil War era date.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
Comments
"Nice cud anyway?"
Oh yes! A spectacular cud! But when I saw it listed in a half dime thread I wondered how such a magnificent cud could have escaped my attention .... in my own series. No big deal, but I'm glad we corrected the listing so others would not be misled as I was. Gee, maybe I will start collecting dimes
.
Got a few Capped Bust dimes and here is one that i own - PS- it has a gold CAC.
Here is an 1803 small date half dime. If you look at the Red Book listings, you might think that this is only a little harder to find that the large date variety, but that is misleading. There are only about 24 of these coins known.
A fun clash.
Judging from the images at PCGS CoinFacts, all 9 1864 business strikes have the reverse crack at 3:30.
Blythe (1992) said the cracked reverse is from 1863, and I see it on most or all of the 1863 business strike images at CoinFacts.
This reverse crack was noted earlier by Larry Briggs in Gobrecht Journal #43 (1988).
3 of 13 proof images have the crack, but all three have the high date which is apparently the V-4 (see below).
Also, all 9 business strike images have the double clash, and none of the proofs seem to have it.
http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/4447
http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/4384
Here is what Breen wrote in the 1988 edition of his Proof Encyclopedia, which may be helpful if you want to research this in more detail:
My summary of the above:
V-1 low date, no clash or cracks (standard 1860s proof reverse and proof edge die), the majority of proofs
V-2 low date, double clash, rev. crack 3:30 (1863 reverse), the majority of business strikes (your coin)
V-3 crack to top of head, a rare proof variety similar to V-4
V-4 middle uphill date, rev. crack 3:30, minority of proofs (3 of 13 photos on CoinFacts; 2 of these are the same coin)
V-5 open D, high, steep uphill date, the 1870 restrike, proof only
I am surprised that I only posted one H10C...here are my others;
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore...
Don't much go for half dimes, but some can change that.
Here is a nice little coin that I upgraded but decided to keep because of its Civil War era date.
Here is a half dime type set I did a few years back. I believe the 1800 is now in the Bill Jones collection. Fun "little" set.
Latin American Collection