1840-O Liberty Seated Half Dime. No Drapery. V-6, FS-901. Small O, Transitional Reverse. AU-50 (PCGS).Warmly toned in golden-gray, both sides are smooth in hand with faint remnants of original luster. Well struck for an early New Orleans Mint coin, although the left side of the mintmark and the lower left portion of the wreath are soft. This variety exhibits the new Robert Ball Hughes reverse with open buds in the wreath, three leaves on either side of the word DIME, and larger letters in the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. This new reverse hub was used to produce Liberty Seated half dimes from 1841 to 1853, its use on an 1840-dated coin an anomaly. In fact, the 1840-O V-6 is described as rare in the Blythe reference on this series (1992), the author noting that, [Examples] can be found with diligent searching, but usually in lower grades. Indeed, of the 11 examples currently certified by PCGS, most grade no higher than VF-35.
