1839 Capped Bust Half Dollar. Reeded Edge. HALF DOL. GR-8a. Rarity-3.

1839 Capped Bust Half Dollar. Reeded Edge. HALF DOL. GR-8a. Rarity-3. Large Letters. AU-58 (PCGS). The later state of the GR-8 variety, this coin displays a readily visible crack extending from the rim through the D of DOL., into the olive branch, and upward through the arrow feathers. The surfaces are primarily slate-gray with substantial flashes of original silvery frost, complemented by attractive blue and rose patina on the lower reverse. The strike is generally well executed, though in this later state the STAT of STATES is weaker. An attractive Choice AU coin, this example would serve well as both a type coin and a specialist example of the GR-8a die state. The reverse is again rotated approximately 9 degrees counterclockwise, consistent with the normal alignment seen on GR-8, and does not approach the much greater rotations found on Koenings' "Greatly Rotated Dies" examples. In 2012, Graham did not attempt to assign separate rarity ratings to the different die states, but Koenings has done so, assigning this GR-8a state a Rarity-5 rating in 2024. Jim Koenings Commentary: My Koenings Newsletter #64 (12-15-24) ranks this die variety as R-5 for rarity. Currently there are at least seven examples known. Each may have a die break from the olive stem through the letter D in DOL. to the rim. Provenance: From the Jim Koenings Collection. PCGS# 6179. NGC ID: 24G6. Click here for certification details from PCGS.

Estimate:£0.75

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