A survey of 19th century business strike coin
H10C DRAPED BUST, LARGE EAGLE (1800-1805)

Owner Comments:

As a date 1800 is one of the "common" dates in the early half dime set. This is an example most common variety, which is listed as LM-1 (Russell Logan and John McCloskey) or V-1 in the classic work on the early half dimes by Daniel Valentine. It has been given a rarity rating of R-3. That means that an estimated 201 to 500 examples of this coin exist. My estimate would be on the upper end of that scale, perhaps around 450 pieces.

The 1800 LM-1 half dime is one of the few varieties in the series that can be found well struck with some limited consistency. Most Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle half dimes show some weakness in their designs, usually on Ms. Liberty’s drapery lines on the corresponding area of the reverse. The problem was the mint was trying to strike too much detail on a tiny, thin coin.

The piece shown here is an exceptional example of this coin. It is superbly struck with needle sharp detail, and the preservation is on the high end of the MS-64 grade. The surfaces are fully lustrous and original.