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1796 Bust H10C. LIKERTY Error PCGS AU50

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:4,000.00 USD
1796 Bust H10C. LIKERTY Error PCGS AU50
1796 Draped Bust Half Dime. "LIKERTY" error. PCGS graded AU-50 LM-1, V-1. An evenly struck example on a wonderful problem-free planchet all overlaid with uniform antique toning. CAC Approved. The design for half dimes was changed in 1796 after the mint decided to discontinue the Flowing Hair style for Liberty. Robert Scot was instructed to create a new, uniform design for the current silver denominations. The half dime, dime, quarter dollar and half dollar of 1796 all have a Draped Bust obverse which is coupled with the Small Eagle reverse. This design had debuted on the silver dollars of 1795. Mint officials considered the standardization of coinage design -- in all metals -- to have great merit, as they strove for a high degree of uniformity.

The 1796 half dime has eight stars on the left and seven on the right, representing the fifteen states, including the new states of Vermont (#14) and Kentucky (#15). In 1796, there is this late die-state example with a broken "B" in Liberty that appears as "LIKERTY" and an overdate. Pop 2; 12 finer (PCGS # 94254).

Although only two die varieties are known, the Guide Book of United States Coins continues to list three different entries for the date, including the Normal Date, the Overdate, and the LIKERTY variety. This latter issue is merely a die state of the Normal Date variety. John McCloskey and the late Russ Logan, authors of the current half dime reference, made no mention of the LIKERTY die state. This example is a later die state with several obverse and reverse cracks.
Estimated Value $10,000 - 11,000.

Our item number 152702