1834
Half Eagle - 1838 Half Eagle: Set of Two Half Eagles
The
numismatic adventure can be enriched by acquiring groups of
coins in meaningful combinations. Sets of coins can run from
two pieces to many. In the areas of rare date and early silver
and gold coins we have established certain sets of special
interest. They include the first and last of an issue, type
sets, design sets, year sets, and those that are joined by
historical events such as the Civil War. The coins of each
set are specially selected for you and your collecting needs.
We are specialists in this
area and will expertly and confidentially help you assemble
a set similar to the one you see below, which is made up of
pieces from the US Rare Coin Investments’ archives.
We will cherry pick through millions of dollars of rare coins
selecting only the finest quality pieces for your collection.
A Set of First and
Last Half Eagles, Classic Head, 1834 and 1838
William Kneass designed
the Classic Head half eagle, which was issued from 1834
to 1838. Like his quarter eagle that was minted from 1834
to 1839, the half eagle had a reduced size and weight. These
changes encouraged circulation instead of melting and exporting.
The half eagle was useful in commerce until extensive hoarding
took place during the Civil War. Originally made from .8992
gold, the composition was changed to .900 gold in 1837.
Kneass based his design on John Reich’s cent of 1808.
Like
the Classic Head quarter eagle, the half eagle design
shows a profile of Liberty facing left. Her curly
hair is held with a band that is inscribed LIBERTY.
She is surrounded by thirteen six-pointed stars, with
the date below. Around the periphery are dentils on
both sides. The coin has a reeded edge. The reverse
shows a heraldic eagle whose head is turned to the
left. In its talons it holds the olive branch and
arrows, symbols peace and preparedness. The legend
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA appears in an interrupted
arc around the coin with the denomination, written
as 5 D. below. Missing is the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM,
which was removed from the reverse to signify the
change in weight from 135 grains to 129.
1834
Half Eagle - The 1834 half eagle had
a mintage of 657,460 and two major varieties, the
Plain 4 and the Crosslet 4. The Plain 4 is more available
of the two.
This lustrous 1834 Plain 4 half eagle
shows slight abrasion in the fields and a few marks
on Liberty’s face. There is a bit of wear on
the highest points of the obverse, which keep it from
an uncirculated grade. The strike is strong on the
reverse, less so on the obverse.
1838
Half Eagle - The 1838 half eagle is
not a common as the first year of issue, Plain 4.
Most seen are in the XF to AU grade range, with approximately
equal numbers at AU55 and AU58.
This half eagle shows medium toning
on the right obverse field through the date while
the left field is somewhat lighter. The darker areas
contain a mixture of greens and orange fading to lighter
yellow-gold. The reverse is similarly colored with
a dark spot of toning on the rim above the C in AMERICA.
Mint luster is seen throughout Liberty’s hair
and ribbon. On the reverse, the eagle is lustrous.
There are several small contact marks
on Liberty’s cheek and jaw and a few in the
left obverse field. On the reverse there are contact
marks under the eagle’s head and in the left
obverse field. There is a trace of wear on the high
points in keeping with the grade assigned. The coin
is fully struck on the obverse and almost so on the
reverse with slight weakness on the eagle’s
neck feathers.
