Golden-orange hues at the centers warm to violet and sapphire iridescence at the peripheries. The devices are uniformly bold, retaining pleasant intricacy despite a later die state. Refinishing lines are seen Libertys shoulder in the left obverse field, joined by a more prominent die mark that spans the outer points of stars 12 and 13. The reverse features a clockwise rotation of perhaps 25 degrees, and displays subtle clashing behind the M and E of DIME that Valentine curiously references as "a flaw in background." Frosty luster blankets each side complementing the pristine surfaces. The 1838 half dime has a mintage of 2,225,000 pieces, the second highest of the denomination since its inception in 1794. Valentines magnum opus published in 1931 notes 14 distinct die pairings for the date, with Kamal Ahwash recognizing a 15th in 1975. While specialists explicitly distinguish between the Large Stars and scarcer Small Stars varieties, the latter is merely a lapped die state of the former, as just a single star size was used for all of the 1838 mintage. This superb Large Stars gem sits firmly in the condition census for the issue, ranking among the top five coins certified by PCGS.
