Lot 1025
1797 Draped Bust Half Dime. 16 stars. . LM-2. NGC graded MS-62. Wonderful blue and lilac toning. An impressive Mint State with gleaming, "old silver" luster whose color is accented by sky blue iridescent around some of the legends. Representative strike for the date, somewhat unevenly struck in areas (center of the hair below the ear for instance) but with full hair waves elsewhere and a nice drapery at the shoulder area of the obverse. The wreath shows plainly (as does the die break through the E of UNITED, and though the eagle is typically soft in detail, it is fully original without adjustment lines or spotting. The draped bust, small eagle half dime series is one of the most difficult to obtain in any grade, let alone choice Mint State like this. Pop 3; 1 in 64, 1 in 66 (PCGS # 4259) .
This is one of two varieties with 16 obverse stars. LM-2 has a leaf piercing the bottom of C at its center. The other 16 stars variety has a leaf close to the bottom of this letter but not touching. The final 7 in the date is larger than the other digits, and it is broken at the junction of the upright and top. The obverse has parallel cracks from the border to stars 7 and 8, the lower crack continuing into the field between these stars, the upper crack joining the upper outside point of star 8. The reverse has a small rim break in the dentils over ME. Clash marks are visible on both sides.
Estimated Value $19,000 - 21,000.
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