1839 Capped Bust Half Dollar. Reeded Edge. HALF DOL. GR-6. Rarity-3.

1839 Capped Bust Half Dollar. Reeded Edge. HALF DOL. GR-6. Rarity-3. Large Letters. AU-55 (NGC). Fairly even bright silver surfaces display pale rose-gold iridescence and a thin band of dusky blue at the extreme peripheries. The strike is about as good as can be expected for the variety, and the surfaces are generally untroubled. Prominent die polish lines on the reverse, extending through DOL. and the arrowheads, are as made. Representing the second use of the obverse die first employed for GR-5 and the first use of the reverse die subsequently used for GR-7, this variety can be somewhat difficult to identify, but the state of the obverse die provides the principal clues. Here, the die line above the 3 in the date is considerably more prominent, while the recutting of the 9 is no longer visible. The drapery detail at the end of the bust and the strike at the base of the date are weak. Though not diagnostic on its own, the eagle's tail feathers are also weak, but stronger here than is typically seen on GR-7. More useful diagnostics are found within the shield. The third line of the first stripe clearly extends upward to the first crossbar, while the second crossbar extends left into the outer border of the shield. Graham also states that this variety should lack the lump between the U and N of UNITED that is present on GR-5, yet such a lump is clearly visible here. However, this feature appears on numerous Reeded Edge half dollar varieties across multiple dates and, in your cataloger's (BAO) opinion, is hub-related rather than a useful diagnostic for any particular die marriage. Jim Koenings Commentary: Not sure if this is a later die state of GR-5 or a separate die marriage. More study is needed. If this is a separate die marriage, my Koenings Newsletter #64 (12-15-24) ranked it R-3+ for rarity. High-grade specimens are difficult to find. Provenance: From the Jim Koenings Collection. PCGS# 531103. BASE PCGS# 6179. NGC ID: 24G6. Click here for certification details from NGC.

Estimate:$1

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