1827 Capped Bust Half Dollars 1807-1839 AU58

History

John Reich's Capped Bust design reached the half dollar in 1807, after Mint Director Robert Patterson concluded that chief engraver Robert Scot could not execute new artwork and pushed for an assistant engraver; authorization came in March 1807. Reich, a German immigrant who had arrived as an indentured servant and was freed by Chief Coiner Henry Voight, saw his obverse extended to the dime in 1809, the quarter in 1815 and the half dime in 1829. With silver dollar coinage suspended, the half dollar was the largest silver coin then in production, and it was struck in heavy quantities for roughly 25 years. The 1827 date carries the third-highest mintage of the entire series, trailing only 1834 and 1836.

Details

Reich designed both sides, and the coin was struck in an alloy of 89.2 percent silver and 10.8 percent copper, weighing 13.50 grams at 32.50 mm. The edge carries the incuse legend FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR, the format used from 1807 through 1836. Philadelphia was the only mint striking half dollars in 1827, and the reported mintage for the date is 5,493,400. That figure is the calendar-year total for all 1827 dies; the Mint did not record output by die pair, so no separate mintage exists for the O-106 marriage.

Features

The obverse shows Liberty facing left, her curled hair gathered into a soft cloth cap with a high crown, thirteen stars around and the date below. The portrait is the heavier, more mature bust adopted in 1809, replacing the slimmer 1807-1808 head. On the reverse an eagle holds an olive branch and arrows behind a shield, with E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll above, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around and the denomination as 50 C. below. The 1827 date is divided by two major distinctions, the 7-over-6 overdate and the shape of the base of the 2, with O-106 falling within the Square Base 2 group, the most common of the major varieties by a wide margin.

Notable facts

• More than 50 die varieties and related listings are recognized for the 1827 half dollar.
• In Mint State the 1827 Square Base 2 appears most often in MS-63, followed by MS-62 and then MS-64.
• Gem examples are scarce and pieces grading finer than MS-65 are very rare.
• An MS66 Square Base 2 brought $34,800 in September 2023, while an MS67 example of the 1827 O-120a Curl Base 2 realized $42,000 in June 2021.
• As of the March 2012 population report, the finest certified Curl Base 2 examples were two coins graded MS-65.