Specializing in Liberty Seated Half Dollars Dick Osburn 713 -875 -5860 rarecoins@dickosburn. com 1
How’d I Get Here? Began collecting in 1955 • Dad had typical coins in his top drawer Dealing by 1958 • Lincolns, Jeff nickels, Merc dimes, etc. • Selling circulation finds at local shows 2
Series Characteristics Designer First official issue Last issue Mints Christian Gobrecht 1839 no drapery 1891 Philadelphia 1839 - 1891 San Francisco 1855 - 1878 New Orleans 1840 - 1861 Carson City 1870 - 1878 Total dates/mintmarks 108 Total varieties 306 in Wiley/Bugert reference ~500 estimated Total die marriages ~2500 estimated 3
Design Types YEAR Type 1839 -1842 -1866 no motto 1853 1854 -1855 1866 -1891 1873 -1874 No drapery With drapery, small date/ letters With drapery, large date/ letters, Arrows & Rays, no motto Arrows only, no motto With Motto With arrows, with motto Minor hub changes – 1858, 1876 4
Seated Half Rarity By Date and Mintmark (all varieties included) R 7+ 3 known 1853 -O No Arrows 1842 small date small letters R 5 ~65 known 1878 -S R 3 Less than 500 1851, 1852 -O, 1870 -CC, 1878 -CC 1871 -CC, 1874 -CC R 2 Less than 1250 1842 -O SD, 1846 -O TD, 1850, 1852 1855 -S, 1856 -S, 1857 -S, 1866 -S NM 1872 -CC, 1873 -CC NA, 1873 -CC WA 1885, 1886, 1887 5
Seated Half Rarity By Variety Value (XF) Unknown 1880, type 1 reverse Unique 1866, no motto (Actually a pattern, the Du. Pont coin) 1 known 1877, WB-101, type 1 reverse 3 known 1842, small date and letters 5 -7 known 1851, WB-104, 8 in denticles ~15 known 1877/77 type 1 reverse (Proof) 1875 -S, WB-104, micro S 2, 000 5, 000 ~30 known 1849/1849, WB-102, dramatically doubled date 1876 -S, WB-103, tail hub variety 2 5, 000 1, 500 ~50 known 1847/6, WB-102 ~75 known 1873, WB-101, no arrows, open 3 9, 000 ~250 known 1844/1844 -O, WB-103, dramatically doubled date 2, 500 $35, 000+? 5, 000? 12, 500 6
Seated Half Rarity The “Not So Rare” 1855/4 You can find one or two at any large show 1845 -O No Drapery Actually a die state, caused by polishing the die (the 1839 ND is the exception) Many other no drapery dates are available 1846/horizontal 6 1844 -O doubled date Spectacular, very visible varieties, therefore high priced, but not excessively rare 1879 through 1890 Rare by mintage, but always available Buy proofs for not much more than G-VG 1885, 1886, and 1887 are rarer than the others 1855 -S Louisiana hoard dispersed about 10 years ago 7
Seated Half Rarity Sleepers 1842 -O Large date Common date, but very hard to find 1848 Moderate price, hard to find 1851 Higher priced, but virtually unavailable 1851 -O Higher mintage, and common date price Sought by date collectors due to scarcity of 1851 1852 -O Price references around $100 in G/VG Virtually unavailable in all grades 1856 -S, 1857 -S As scarce as 1855 -S, but at a fraction of the price 1862 - 1865 Civil war issues disappeared 1864 -S Very underrated. Virtually unobtainable in AU - MS 8
Interesting Coins 1840 “Medium Letters” reverse • • Bust half reverse (obverse mintmark) used to strike an 1840 -O seated half Result - the “Medium Letters” no mintmark variety, which is actually a New Orleans issue Early New Orleans die usage • 1845 -O WB-108 1846, 6 over horizontal 6 The 1861 -O “Confederate” halves • Obverse die linked to real 1861 Confederate half dollar issued by the CSA 1866 with misplaced digits (WB-103) 9
Cherry Picking (for fun and profit) The Rules of Engagement • Cherry Picking is an honorable pursuit (NOT theft) – You worked hard for the knowledge - YOU EARNED IT!! – Most (but not all) dealers agree • Be courteous to a dealer’s other customers – Don’t hog the table • When you find something – Complete your search before asking for prices – Ask the price, then pay it or move on – If the dealer asks what you’ve found, tell him 10
Closing Thoughts Get smart - buy the books before the coins Limit your scope - specialize Buy a microscope Series suggestions : Low budget Moderate budget Big bucks Type set Date set First and last year transitional set Date and mintmark set 11
References 1. Wiley, Randy; and Bugert, Bill, The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars. Virginia Beach, Virginia: DLRC Press, 1993. 2. The Gobrecht Journal. Three times yearly publication of the Liberty Seated Collector’s Club. 3. The Gobrecht Journal, Collective Volumes 1 -4. Published by the Liberty Seated Collector’s Club. 4. Flynn, Kevin, Two Dates are Better Than One, A Collector’s Guide to Misplaced Dates. Rancocas, New Jersey: KCK Press, 1997. 5. Lloyd, Lloyd M. , The Varieties of 1854 New Orleans Liberty Seated Half Dollars, Published by Mike Lloyd, 1998. 6. Beistle, M. L. , A Register of Half Dollar Die Varieties and Sub-Varieties. Shippenburg, Pensylvania: The Beistle Company, 1929. 7. Breen, Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins. New York: F. C. I. Press, Inc. and Doubleday, 1988. 8. Breen, Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Proof Coins. New York: F. C. I. Press, Inc. and Doubleday, 1977. 12
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