I bought a collection about 6 years ago and this was hidden in the coins all wrapped up and by itself in a small box. It’s the Draped Bust type in very fine condition. It’s stemless with a plain 4.
It has been my experience that 1804 is the most common date in the half cent series. There are 12 known die varieties. The best known is the spiked chin. This die state was created when a foreign object, perhaps a screw, got between the dies and damaged the right field. The head of the screw might be the spiked chin, and the threads are the marks in the field. Despite the damage the die survived to be combined with four reverses. The plain 4, stemless variety which you have is the most common 1804 half cent variety. There may have been a nameless hoard of them because, from the early 19th century perspective, the coin is fairly common in Mint State or very close to it. Roger Cohen assigned it the variety “1804 C-13” in his variety guide. Why are there 13, 1804 half cent die variety numbers? At first Roger assigned a variety number to the spiked chin die before it was injured. Later collectors pointed out that his variety was only a die state.
Here is an example of the spiked chin die variety soon after it became the spiked chin. Roger Cohen listed this as his die variety 1804 C-5. Note that the reverse has a massive crack through the center of it.
Lots of silver coins and about 50 Morgan and 25 Peace Dollars. Some foreign coins and lots of 40% and 90% Kennedy Halves.
I would like a collection like that. I used to buy collection or coins on the cheap to flip but I stopped so the coins I bought are now apart of my collection. I never bought a collection of that size.
My brother ended up with one when we split up grandpa's coins way back when. Unfortunately the only (old) pics available. Somebody ID'd it on another forum years ago and I wish I had recorded what they said!
