806

Lot 0806 1815/2 Bust 50C NCS AU Details Improperly Clea

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1,750.00 USD Estimated At:3,500.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Lot 0806 1815/2 Bust 50C NCS AU Details Improperly Clea
On January 11, 1816, a fire in the rear building of the Mint damaged rolling and cutting apparatus sufficiently to make any further coinage of gold or silver impossible until extensive repairs could be made."

Regarding the damage to the rolling and cutting apparatus, while this affected the Mint planchet preparation process, the real reason for lack of half dollar coinage after 1815 was lack of deposits. The War of 1812 had officially ended on December 24, 1814, but news of this was not fully disseminated until well into 1815 (the Battle of New Orleans, showcasing the heroism of Andrew Jackson, took place in January 1815 after the war had ended). The commerce of Europe remained in turmoil, affected not only by the aftermath of the War of 1812, but also the recent wider-ranging Napoleonic Wars.

Cleaned but still attractive with russet brown to gray and the centers yielding to lighter silver-gray toning framed by the peripheries of each side. What luster must have resided in the fields was swept away by the cleaning, and yet the devices show well enough to entice prospective buyers to place a bid.