Small cherrypick at coin shop today. 1861-O WB-104 Seated Half. CSA Strike

I picked this up today at a coin shop, not a bad cherry pick.

This is an 1861-O Seated Half WB-104. The diagnostic is the speared olive bud on the reverse. It is the top olive bud, and there are two faint die lines running horizontal through it. It is a very easy cherry pick. The variety is fairly scarce, but can be found with searching

Through die linking, it is proven that this coin was struck by the Confederacy shortly after the New Orleans mint was seized.

It's a low grade coin, but very desirable as a CSA strike.

 

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well, good pick!
I wouldn't know that variety if It came up and hit me in the face!
way to keep your eyes open. You deserve it!

 

It's an easy pick once you know where to look.

90% of dealers either don't know or don't care about die varieties, other than the well publicized varieties that are extremely expensive.

Next time you see a 61-O seated half, just check the top olive bud.

There are two other 61-O varieties that were struck by the Confederacy. One has a vertical die crack through the date, and another has a die crack from the rim to Liberty's nose.

All three can be cherry picked as most dealers don't care to go through the trouble.

I'll post examples of each of the three Confederacy strikes a little later on.....

 

I have always wanted a CSA 61' half...just as a curosity piece. What would the low grade coin posted be worth?

 

It's tough to say how much it's worth exactly. Only a few dealers sell this variety attributed.

My guess is between $25-$50.

The WB-102 is the most highly priced, and is scarcer than this coin. If you want a CSA half dollar, WB-104 is your cheapest way to go.

 

Here is WB-104 , and I have circled the area you need to look at.

You will clearly see two die scratches to the right of the olive bud. Under a loupe they are obvious and you can't miss it.

 

cool

 

I agree WB-104 also known in Wiley's expanded die study on the 1861-O's as W-15. It was the last variety struck by the Confederacy before they closed down the New Orleans Mint. It is also an interesting piece because it pairs the last rev die, only used by the Confederacy, with a resurrected Obv 1 that was originally used by the Union in January before the State of Louisiana took over the Mint. There are actually two different varieties with the speared olive reverse W-14 and W-15. W-14 is the one mentioned with the vertical crack through the left edge of the 6. (WB-103)

There were actually six different varieties struck by the Confederacy. W-9 to W-11, and W-13 to W-15. (W-12 was the half with the Confederate reverse.)

The W-11 variety with the die crack to the bridge of Liberty's nose is much harder o cherrypick because it is much better known and many dealers know they can get a premium for it because it was struck by the Confederacy and the obv was used to strike the four Confederate rev half dollars. (The W-11 variety comes both with and without the crack to the nose.)

 

$25+

 

Cool. Congrats.


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