A Seated Liberty Grading Set - or is it a Type Set?
VF35, #3: 1865-S 50C, Small Wide Broken S

Owner Comments:

WB-1, WB-101, LDS, R6 (13-30 pieces known, Bugert 2009). My photo of the Reverse is a close-up that highlights the S mintmark, the key diagnostic of this variety.

NGC CoinExplorer says this about the 1865-S Half Dollar: "The San Francisco Mint received no additional reverse dies for 1865, as there were sufficient dies on hand from previous years. Some 12 obverses were sent west, and seven of these have been identified. Paired with eight reverses, the result was a total of nine die marriages known for 1865-S. All were coined with collars having either 139 or 140 reeds. The Small, Wide S with broken top seen on S-Mint half dollars of 1862-64 was used in only one die marriage during this year. [....] The single variety having the old mintmark [WB-1] is quite scarce and will command some premium among specialists."