Lot 540
1801. PCGS graded Fine-12. Light old time silver gray toning on both sides. Half dollars were struck in modest numbers in 1794, with a prodigious increase in 1795 to nearly 300,000 peces, then the mintages plummeted to a few thousand coins for both 1796 and 1797 and then production of half dollars halted. Coinage of half dollars began again in 1801 but with only 30,189 pieces struck, about a tenth of those issued in 1795. This is one of those scarce 1801 dated coins. It is quite curious that half dollar production was so erratic in the first decade of Mint operations, as half dollars were soon the primary coin used for bank reserves and in commerce. Apparently these half dollars had to find their way into that level of acceptance over time. Hence as later more robust mintages were on the horizon, these early issues see strong demand in all grades (PCGS # 6064) Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,600
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| Realized $1,980 |
