NGC Certifies New Overton Variety

Submitted to NGC for certification during the recent Long Beach Coin & Collectibles Expo was a new die pairing for the Draped Bust Half Dollar series. This coin was certified by NGC as VF-20 and is presently unique.

Al C. Overton’s book Early Half Dollar Die Varieties 1794-1836 is the standard reference for this very popular series. Its current third edition lists some ten die pairings, or varieties, for the Draped Bust Halves of 1807 (O-101 through O-110). This year is transitional with the Capped Bust type, for which another four die pairings (O-111 through O-114) are known dated 1807. Since Overton left no gap in his numbering sequence for additional 1807 Draped Bust Halves, this new variety has been labeled O-115 in agreement with notable specialists in the series.

The discovery of this new variety makes for a very interesting numismatic tale. It was posted for discussion on the Internet by owner David Baker as perhaps O-104, which shares the same reverse die with O-103 and the newly-discovered coin. Collector Bill Nyberg, a member of the Bust Half Nut Club for specialists in this series, realized that the obverse die did not match any known previously. Confirmation of this coin’s unique status was provided another specialist, Steven Herrman, and by Oakland, California coin dealer Sheridan Downey, who then submitted the half dollar to NGC for grading and attribution.

NGC provides variety attribution for all early United States coins under its VarietyPlus attribution and grading service. These varieties are listed as separate lines within the NGC Census Report, providing a valuable tool to researchers and to those trading in variety coins. To receive a variety attribution when submitting coins to NGC, simply check the appropriate box on the submission form and add $7 to the grading fee for each attribution. Coins already certified by NGC may have such variety attributions added under NGC’s Designation Review service for a fee of $10, which includes the cost of reholdering.