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*Highlight Of Entire Auction* 1797 15 Stars LM-1 V-2b Draped Bust 1/2 10c Graded vf++ By USCG (fc)

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:1,529.17 - 6,116.67 USD
*Highlight Of Entire Auction* 1797 15 Stars LM-1 V-2b Draped Bust 1/2 10c Graded vf++ By USCG (fc)
***Auction Highlight*** 1797 Only 500 Survive in all Grades One of the Rarest coins we have ever offered Draped Bust Half Dime 1/2 10c Graded vf++ By USCG. Up for auction is One of the Rarest coins we have ever offered. Up for auction is an ULTRA RARE Variety of the elusive and highly sought 1797 Half Dime. While the coin itself is Ultra Rare, with a mere 500 Examples surviving in all grades, of that 500, only 2 Known examples of the V-2B Ultra late Die State have survived. The V-2 is characterized by D.W. Valentine in his 1975 Book “United States Half Dimes” as “2 Obv. The obverse has 15 stars—eight on the left, seven on the right. The upper right star touches y of liberty; the lowest on the right touches bust. Rev. The spray of laurel has 15 leaves and 3 berries, one outside, two within.”. Valentine goes on to explain that “Die breaks are listed as sub-varieties, being accidents, and are of interest as they are the later impressions of a particular die, as well as evidence of identity of dies found on more than one specimen.” There is a 2A variety with a small Die Break, and then the Ultra Rare, virtually unknown 2b, Which shows the very final stage of this Die, where the Break runs the full length of the coin. The Die must have split after a few examples were minted and only 3 are known today. One of which is up for auction today. I have given a close up showing, as Valentine describes “2b Die Crack greatly extended, going through 9 of date, face, and t of liberty.”

Finally, this amazing coin is the 15 Star Variety or the LM-1, The half dimes dated 1797 are known with either 15 stars, 16 stars or 13 stars. The first two dies represented the number of states. When it became obvious that adding a star for each new state was creating clutter, the decision was made to henceforth recognize only the original 13 states on our coins. After the original 13 Colonies, the next state admitted to the Union was Vermont and the 15th state was Kentucky. Since the US Mint shortly after 1797, ceased adding more stars to represent new states, this 15 star issue is a particular favorite to sons and daughters of the great state of Kentucky, as it is one of the few coins ever to have a star added to signify its statehood. All half dimes of this design type are scarce. Most often encountered are pieces in lower grades from About Good through Fine. Very Fine pieces are elusive, Extremely Fine coins are scarce.. In the 1960s, when James F. Ruddy was gathering photographs for his Photo grade book, he found that examples of this half dime type were among the most difficult to locate. As is true of other early silver coins, pieces are apt to have mint caused adjustment marks and to be weakly struck in certain areas, particularly at the center of the eagle on the reverse.



A Corey's Pick, Bid to Win, Don't let it get Away, you might not find its equal Coin. I give this coin my highest recommendation