1868 Liberty Seated Half Dime. MS-65 (NGC).This handsome, richly toned example is awash in dominant charcoal-mauve and steel-olive patina. Vivid undertones of golden-rose and lilac-blue also exist to tempt the viewer as the coin rotates under a light. Overall sharply struck with softly frosted luster and a smooth appearance in hand. These are scarce in all grades, as perhaps the mintage of 88,600 circulation strikes might imply. As silver continued to be hoarded in the East and Midwest during the early Reconstruction era, little bullion reached the Philadelphia Mint for new coinage. Indeed, with the typical survivor grading VF or higher the 1868 half dime as an issue does not appear to have seen widespread circulation. We believe that the release of limited numbers of coins into commerce occurred after silver and paper bills achieved party in April 1876, at which time they were set aside by contemporary numismatists who perceived these earlier-dated examples as scarcities. The present Gem, however, was likely preserved since the time of striking and is a strong candidate for inclusion in an advanced cabinet.
