½ Dollar "Capped Bust Half Dollar" HALF DOL. below eagle (1838) — United States

Overview

A very rare silver ½ Dollar coin of the United States, minted in 1838 at the New Orleans Mint (bearing the 'O' mintmark). This Capped Bust Half Dollar has an extremely limited mintage of just 20 pieces. Designed by Christian Gobrecht, it features a left-facing bust of Liberty on the obverse and an eagle with arrows and olive branch on the reverse.

Specifications

Country

United States

Year

1838

Composition

Silver (.900) (.100 copper)

Weight

13.36 g

Diameter

30 mm

Thickness

2.15 mm

Mint

United States Mint of New Orleans

Mintmark

O

Shape

Round

Technique

Milled

References

KM# 65, PCGS# 6177, 6181

Issuer

United States

Design details

Collector insights

• Design heritage: Christian Gobrecht is credited as the designer for the Standard circulation coins series. Designer attribution helps distinguish this issue from later restrikes or unofficial copies that reuse only the motif.
• Struck at: United States Mint of New Orleans (mintmark O). Confirm the mintmark on your example before comparing prices — same-year issues from different mints often trade at very different levels.
• Low mintage: Only 20 pieces reported. This puts the issue into key-date territory for its series; expect steep grade-based price scaling and a higher counterfeit risk — provenance and third-party grading matter.
• Precious metal content: Silver (.900) (.100 copper) — bullion value provides a price floor, and many circulated examples were melted during the 1979–1980 and post-2010 silver spikes, reducing the surviving population.
• Catalogue reference: Listed as KM# 65, PCGS# 6177, 6181. Use this reference code when cross-checking auction archives, dealer inventories, and standard printed catalogues.

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