Number of Capped Bust Half Dollar Die Marriages & Remarriages

This is quite a bit of an esoteric question for the Capped Bust Half Dollar collectors out there. I asked it of a friend that is a rabid Bust Half Nut and he wasn't able (or willing) to answer it to my satisfaction. There's actually a couple of nested questions here. So, if anyone can help enlighten me on it, I would very much appreciate it. Here goes:

I have often read that there are 450 distinct die marriages in the Capped Bust Half Dollar, Lettered Edge series, 1807-1836. Is that the generally accepted number?

Nested question and here it gets esoteric: Does that number (450 or whatever) include remarriages and if so, how many of the 450 are remarriages?

Now, I collect Capped Bust Half Dimes by marriage and remarriage where a remarriage is defined as a die marriage that was minted at a later time than the original die marriage was minted (see below for a more thorough explanation). In reviewing my Fifth Edition Overton/Peterson I can find no use of the term "remarriage". I do, however, note the use of the "a" and "b" subscript to the die marriage notation to call out a later die state which is not necessarily the same as a die remarriage but could be. One does not preclude the other.

So, the final question is, do the CB half dollar collectors even use the term remarriage and define the series in that manner in any way?

Just a subscript for those interested in such things: The CB half dollar had its own dedicated screw press so that dies in service in the press tended to be used continuously until retired at which time another half dollar die or dies were installed. The other series; copper, half dimes, dimes, quarters, small gold were struck on a smaller press and the dies were often removed to strike a production run of a different series. This meant that when half dime dies were reinstalled for a production run there was no effort to specifically use the same obverse and reverse dies used in the previous run so you wound up with coins minted from various combinations of the available obverse and reverse dies. When a set of dies were reinstalled that had been previously used together, the coins produced were the result of a "remarriage" of those dies.

 

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If including the crushed edge proofs there are 453 distinct die marriages. As you said, 450 without the CE proofs.

This doesn’t include different die states of individual marriages. As for remarriages there are a few but not as many as there are in your half dime series

 

Thanks. I have read that there are about 610 including the die states. Die states are not remarriages of course, although some of them could be.

Still, any idea how many remarriages there may be?

In the Capped Bust Half Dime series, there are 92 distinct die marriages and 32 remarriages for a total count of 124. I count remarriages differently than JRCS. They count the first pairing as a remarriage and I don't. So, by my count, die remarriages are 25.8% of the total and 34.8% of the die marriages. That's a lot and is testament to the Mint trying to get every bit of die life out of their investment.

 

Although there may be others, I know of only 2...interestingly enough both using the same reverse die...
First the 1828 O-118 was struck, then the 1829 O-110, then the 1828 O-118a, then the 1829 O-110a.

 

I am not sure about the 610 different die states, but recently the BHNC introduced a new system using numbers. E.g. they‘d call an O-101a now O-101.2 or O-101.3, depending on the exact die state. A book called „Die State Progressions for Capped Bust Half Dollars 1807-1836, First Edition“ can be bought online at DKRC.

By the way, NGC and PCGS still use the old system but have not recognized all die states. I have an 1808 O104b which is quite scarce, but PCGS calls it O104a. According to the new system, it‘s the O104.4 or very late die state.