1804 Draped Bust Half Cent. C-8. Rarity-1. Spiked Chin. MS-64 BN (PCGS). Type: Type IV: Draped Bust.Design: Obv: A draped bust of Liberty faces right, her hair tied with a ribbon. The word LIBERTY is above and the date 1804 is below. Rev: Design of 1802 to 1808. A wreath surrounds the denomination HALF CENT, the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the border and another expression of the denomination, 1/200, below. A ribbon knot with double bow binds the base of the wreath.Weight Standard: 84 grains (5.44 grams).Diameter: 23.5 mm.Die Variety: Cohen-8, Breen-7, Gilbert-7. Obv: The popular Spiked Chin variety. Crosslet 4 in the date is high and distant from the adjacent 0, the upright of the letter R in LIBERTY is missing its right foot. The die has been injured and features a sharp spike-like projection from Libertys chin, a smaller extension at the mouth, and eight or more arcing lines in the right field from the chin to the bust. This die was earlier used in the 1804 C-1 pairing and C-3 die state (before the injury that caused the Spiked Chin feature), and also for the C-5, C-6 and C-7 Spiked Chin varieties. Rev: Single leaf at the top of the left branch in the wreath, double leaf at the top of the right branch in the wreath; there are five berries on each branch. The digit punch for all of the letter Ts is defective with no feet, although vestigial feet have been added by hand. There is a light die scratch from the tip of the leaf below the letter T in UNITED that extends toward the base of the adjacent E. A tiny spur extends down from the right base of the letter R in AMERICA, tiny dash in the field midway between that letter and the leaf below. This die was later used in the 1804 C-9 and C-10 pairings.The C-5, 6, 7, and 8 attributions correspond to the Spiked Chin <em>Guide Book</em> variety of the 1804 half cent.Die State: Manley 4.0, described as "very scarce." Obv: Cracked through the top of the letters in LIBERTY, and from the L to the border. The crack is heavy along the top of the letters LIBER, and a retained cud has formed above the L. Light clash marks are evident before Libertys throat and below the ribbon ends. The border denticulation is weak to indistinct. Rev: There is a bold die crack from the border to the top of the letter R in AMERICA.Edge: Plain.Mintage: Government records report a mintage of 1,055,312 half cents for calendar year 1804, although the actual number of coins struck from 1804-dated dies is unknown. Some of the coins struck during 1804 were likely from 1803-dated dies, and additional 1804-dated specimens were almost certainly delivered in 1805, possibly as late as 1806.Estimated Surviving Population for the Issue: 15,000 or more coins in all grades.Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-1: More than 2,000 coins in all grades.Strike: This is an exceptionally well struck coin for the die state with all major design elements sharply to fully defined. The obverse exhibits very bold detail to the border denticulation, if still incomplete in areas, while that on the reverse is nearly complete.Surfaces: Glossy olive-copper surfaces with intermingled golden-brown highlights on both sides. The texture is satiny and overall smooth with only a few wispy handling marks and faint carbon spots that are easily overlooked. Shallow planchet flaws in the reverse field both above and below the letter A in HALF are as made.Commentary: Cohen-8 is the final die marriage produced for the Spiked Chin variety, and also the most available. Several Mint State examples are known; among the finest is the pop 1/0 MS-66 BN (PCGS) from the Missouri Cabinet and the D. Brent Pogue Collection. Breen suggests that a small hoard of Mint State 1804 C-8 half cents may have existed at one time, but details are lacking. In an absolute sense, of course, all Uncirculated survivors from these dies are rare, and the present near-Gem is finer than most that have been certified. Perfect for inclusion in a high quality type set or specialized half cent variety collection. From the ESM Collection. Earlier from our (Bowers and Merenas) Orlando Rarities Sale, January 2010, lot 15.
