1797 Draped Bust Half Dime. LM-4. Rarity-6. 13 Stars. AU-53 (PCGS). Light pewter-gray surfaces are satiny in texture with an uncommonly smooth appearance in hand for an early half dime that saw actual, however light circulation. The strike is also uncommonly sharp for the type, most features full and the central high points exhibiting emerging to bold detail. A few faint planchet drift marks in and around the centers are difficult to discern, but significant for provenance purposes, nonetheless. Definitely a superior quality example of this important rarity in the Draped Bust, Small Eagle half dime series.<p>The half dimes of 1797 were famously struck with 15, 16 and 13-star obverses, making this a rather interesting year for both <em>Guide Book</em> variety collectors and die variety specialists. Just six dies in four combinations are known for the date. The pair of dies used to strike the 13 Stars coin offered here were used only in this marriage, the rarest of the four and likewise the most difficult of the three star arrangements to obtain. High grade examples are quite scarce and in 1998, when Russell Logan and John McCloskey published their standard reference on the series, <em>Federal Half Dimes: 1792-1837</em>, the lone appearance of an AU-50 coin in 1980 was worthy of mention.<p>All 1797 half dimes are scarce to rare in high grades, but the 13 Star variety is particularly so. Only a single coin has been graded Mint State by PCGS and NGC combined, while the majority of the grading events seem to be concentrated in the VF range. Clearly bidding opportunities for high grade examples of this variety are usually few and far between in todays market, highlighting the significance of this lot. From Heritages FUN Signature Auction of January 2017, lot 5568.
