1853 No Arrows or 1853-O No Arrows Half Dime?

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by Publius2, Oct 10, 2025 at 12:10 PM.

  1. Publius2

    Publius2 Well-Known Member

    I am looking to replace the Variety 2 With Drapery Half Dime (1840-1853) in my type set because I sent my raw coin off to NGC and it came back AU-Details-Whizzed (no surprise there). Photo of this coin below because no post is complete without a photo.

    I could easily get a common date MS or PR-65 or 66 replacement for well within my budget but I have recently started considering getting "better date" coins for this set. Even though I don't collect for investment purposes, I am not entirely deaf to the siren song of "better appreciation for better coins."

    To that end, I am looking to fill this slot with either a 1853 No Arrows or a 1853-O No Arrows. While the mintages of these coins are similar, 135,000 and 160,000, respectively, the 53-O is much rarer and more expensive. These were minted to the old weight standard which was reduced on February 21. Why is the 53-O so much rarer?

    The 1853 was minted in two lots; 50,000 on February 19 and 85,000 on the 22nd. The 50,000 lot was most likely distributed to circulation. The 85,000 most likely went straight to the melting pot.

    The New Orleans mint did not distribute much of its coinage struck before February 21 and in the autumn sent over $1 million of various denominations to Philadelphia to be melted. It can be assumed that much of the 1853-O No Arrows half dime mintage was included in that shipment. Hence the much lower survivorship of the 53-O than the 53.

    As a result of this variance in survivorship and quoting the Red Book Quarterly price guide for retail prices, the 1853 can be had for $2,000 in MS-65. But the same money will only buy you a VF-25 or 30 in a 1853-O NA. And a 1853-O NA in MS-65 is $35,000.

    So, which coin do you think is "better". I'd appreciate your thoughts on this and note that this not a registry set so I don't care about "points" nor do I care overly much about having consistent grades (most of my LS coins in the set are about MS-63-66).

    And here's the whizzed coin that now gets no respect.

    NGC8364305-003_OBV.jpg DSC_0238-tile.jpg
     
    ksmooter61 and dwhiz like this.
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  3. dwhiz

    dwhiz Collector Supporter

    1853-O No Arrows Half Dime
     
  4. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator

    While much more expensive, I've always preferred the 53-O NA to the 53 NA, both as a collector and as a dealer. Keep your eyes peeled for a full date and spend the extra money if you find one.
     
  5. Publius2

    Publius2 Well-Known Member

    10-4. A nice one, with a full to fullish date, will be hard to find.

    I did find a pretty 53 in PCGS Ms-64 in a dealer's inventory but he wanted too much money for it (toning premium) and besides, it wasn't as strongly struck (weakish dentils) as the 53s are supposed to be.
     
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