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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Publius2, post: 8006108, member: 105571&quot;]The 1859 Philadelphia half dime sports a unique obverse named after an assistant engraver, Anthony C. Paquet.&nbsp; I don&#039;t believe anyone knows why this was done, and the only other dies that I can find attributed to Paquet are the reverses of the 1861 and 1861-S Double Eagles.&nbsp; Unlike the very expensive DEs, the half dime is affordable.&nbsp; My example is graded PCGS PF-62 Gold CAC.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many half dime collectors consider the Paquet Obverse to be worthy of collecting as a separate type despite the Red Book not designating it as such.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Paquet obverse was also used in the 1859 &quot;Obverse of 1859, Reverse of 1860, Transitional Issue&quot; (very rare, 20 in Proof only) and also in the 1860 &quot;Obverse of 1859, Reverse of 1860, Transitional Issue (rare, 100 circulation strike mintage specially struck by Mint Director Snowden for collectors only).&nbsp; Both of these coins nowhere show a national identity, the legend &quot;United States of America&quot; not appearing on either obverse or reverse.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 1859-O half dime used the obverse design of 1858.</p><p><br /></p><p>The composite photos below compare the detail differences between my 1858 standard obverse coin and my 1859 Paquet obverse coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The differences are:</p><p><br /></p><p>*&nbsp; Liberty&#039;s head is slightly farther from the border on the Paquet design.</p><p>*&nbsp; Liberty&#039;s cap is slightly larger and slightly closer to the border on the Paquet.</p><p>*&nbsp; Liberty&#039;s finger is tucked down at the pole on the Paquet.</p><p>*&nbsp; The stars have hollow centers (called &quot;Mullets&quot; or &quot;Molets&quot;) on the Paquet.</p><p>*&nbsp; The lower left side of the rock is more extended to the left and is slightly different in its details on the Paquet. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Capped Bust and Liberty Seated half dimes, often overlooked by collectors, offer many interesting examples and varieties.&nbsp; It used to be difficult to appreciate these small coins but the advent of inexpensive and technically excellent cameras and editing software have made their details much more accessible.</p><p><br /></p><p>If I&#039;ve made any errors in this, please feel free to offer corrections.&nbsp; As my wife often tells me &quot;Humble is a virtue.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1388941[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1388942[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1388943[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1388944[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1388945[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1388948[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1388949[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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