Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;johnmilton, post: 4289677, member: 101855&quot;]<b><u>Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle, 1800-5</u></b></p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; In 1800 the half dime followed the lead of other silver coins of the period when the Small Eagle reverse was replaced by the Heraldic Eagle design. This rendition of the national bird is similar that found on The Great Seal of The United States except that the arrows and olive branch in the eagle’s talons are reversed. In the modern version of The Great Seal the olive branch is in the right talon and the arrows are clutched eagle’s left claw, which shows a preference for peace. On all of the early U.S. gold and silver coins the position of the olive branch and the arrows is reversed, which shows a preference for war. The reasons for this arrangement are unknown.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Most of the Draped Bust, Large Eagle half dimes from 1800 to 1805 are poorly struck. Very few pieces show the lines in Ms. Liberty’s drapery and nearly all of the coins show some weakness on the reverse in the area opposite to the drapery area. The 1800 half dime is the most common date from this group. The rarest date is the 1802 half dime, which is one of the legendary rarities in the United States series. There are only 35 to 40 examples of the 1802 half dime known.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; In 1805 the U.S. mint minted 15,600 half dimes from one set of dies. After that the mint would not strike another half dime until 1829. The reason for this long hiatus was that there was little demand for half dimes among those who brought silver to the mint to be made into coins. When half dime coinage resumed, the design would be the Capped Bust motif which appeared on other silver coins of the era.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Today the early half dimes are seldom seen except at very large coin shows and in major auctions. Your author did not see his first early half dime until he had been a collector for over ten years. When I saw this first example, which was an 1800 half dime, it was love and first sight; and I’ve been collecting early half dimes by Red Book variety for more than 30 years.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><b>1800 &quot;LIBERTY&quot; Half Dime. This is the most common Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle Half Dime, but the stike and preservation on this one make it a WOW! The PCGS grade is MS-64.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>[ATTACH=full]1091926[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1091927[/ATTACH] </b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>1805 Half Dime, the last of its kind. </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>[ATTACH=full]1091928[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1091929[/ATTACH] </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>I have more early half dimes, if anyone would like to discuss this topic in greater depth. </b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in