1818/7 50C O-101a, Large 8 MS(PCGS#39541)

Spring 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

4086

等级

AU53

价格

9,702

详细说明

Demand from bullion depositors resulted in a mintage of 1,960,322 half dollars during calendar year 1818. To achieve this substantial total the Mint used 12 obverse and 10 reverse dies in 15 pairings. Two of the obverses are overdates, the dies originally prepared for use in 1817-dated coinage but subsequently repurposed for use in 1818. These two overdate dies struck three varieties of the issue, and they are easily distinguished by the size of the first digit 8 in the date. The dies used for the O-101 and O-103 pairings correspond to the Large 8 variety, represented here. Star 13 is notched on the shared obverse die of these two varieties, indicating that it was initially engraved by John Reich in early 1817, before he left the employ of the Mint in March of that year. The Overton-102 is the Small 8, the obverse without a notch on star 13 and, therefore, initially prepared after Reich left the Mint in March 1817. All three overdate varieties of this issue are readily obtainable in an absolute sense, with slight edges in rarity going to the O-103 Large 8 followed by the O-102 Small 8. Edgar H. Souders estimates that the combined mintage of these three die pairings is 392,062 coins. Representing the late state of the O-101 Large 8 attribution, the offered coin exhibits vivid reddish-russet peripheral toning to otherwise pearl gray surfaces. Die State 101.3.