Lot 2767
1836 Capped Bust Half Dollar. Reeded edge. VF-35. Lightly toned and cleaned. A rare and long unappreciated low mintage date as a mere 1200 were minted. According to Donald Taxay's lengthy discussion of the introduction of coins struck on the Mint's new steam equipment, "In November 1836, the Mint began to issue new half dollars from dies designed by Gobrecht. The Liberty head was finely drawn and very beautiful. However, no change was made in the heraldic eagle despite the omission of the motto [E PLURIBUS UNUM]." Mint director Patterson, in referring to this new half dollar in a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Woodbury, said, "The milling [i.e., reeding] as well as the striking, has been done by the new machinery, and the steam-power; and the saving of labor, and the acceleration of our work, will be very great. Heretofore we have used two screw presses for coining half dollars, --one of them only occasionally. The smaller of these presses required three men to work it, the larger four. The steam press, with a single hand to feed the planchets, will do more work than these two presses with seven hands." Mass coinage production had finally come to the Philadelphia Mint.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,600.
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| Realized $1,610 |
