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Message:: [QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 8508375, member: 101855"]I collected them by die variety from the mid 1980s until the mid '90s when I started my coin dealer business. They were my "seed money for the business." I could only get so far. I got 11 of the 12, 1804 half cent varieties, but the last one was almost impossible. There were about 15 known at the time. Finally, the late Jim McGuigan got one that was a ground salvage piece. The price was $7,300. I had a choice. I could buy a nice 1804 $2.50 gold piece as a type coin, or I could buy that. I opted for the gold piece, and that sort of ended my half cent collection. The piece you acquired, [USER=103422]@Indianhead65[/USER], is an 1803 C-1. The quickest way to spot that variety is to look at the fraction bar at the bottom. There is a line that connects it with the right ribbon on the wreath. It is the most common of the four known 1803 half cent varieties. Half cents are a lot of fun to collect, but the series has never attracted that many date collectors. The trouble is there are some big gaps in the series where coins were never made (1812 to 1824) or the coins are so rare you hardly ever see them and the prices are half way to the moon (1840 to 1848). The common dates are available, but scarcer than some people might think. The Red Book is right. "All half cents are scarce."[/QUOTE]