1817 Capped Bust Half Dollar. O-108. Rarity-7. VF-35 (PCGS).Attractively toned, both sides exhibit vivid undertones of pinkish-rose and powder blue to otherwise dominant steel and olive-gray. The strike is drawn trivially to 7 oclock on the obverse, 1 oclock on the reverse, but both sides exhibit full denticulation around the borders. Lightly struck at the end of Libertys bust and in the opposing area on the reverse, yet with bold Choice VF elsewhere. Overall smooth in hand and sure to catch the eye of advanced early half dollar variety enthusiasts given the extreme rarity of this attribution. The 1817 Overton-108 die state exhibits no cracks on the obverse, as here, with Stephen J. Herrman (Spring 2019) assigning a tentative rating of Rarity-7. Only four examples are confirmed, just three of which are listed in the current edition of Herrmans AMBPR for Bust half dollars:<p>1 - <strong>AU-50.</strong> Ex Sheridan Downeys Mail Bid Sale #44, January 2017, lot 25.<p>2 - <strong>EF-40.</strong> Ex Sheridan Downeys Mail Bid Sale #33, August 2007, lot 132.<p>3 - <strong>EF-40.</strong> Ex Sheridan Downeys Mail Bid Sale #28, June 2003, lot 201.<p>3 - <strong>PCGS VF-35.</strong> Ex E. Horatio Morgan Collection. <em><strong>The present example</strong></em>, prior provenance not recorded.From the E. Horatio Morgan Collection.
