1873 Liberty Seated Half Dollar. No Arrows. WB-104. Close 3. Tripled 3. MS-63 (PCGS). CAC. In 1873, three different half dollar varieties were produced at the Philadelphia Mint. The No Arrows, Close 3 pieces were struck first, to the extent of 587,000 circulation strikes and 600 Proofs. Sometime prior to April 1, but presumably also before February 12, the date logotype was changed to the Open 3 style in response to a complaint from Chief Coiner A. Loudon Snowden that the close-style 3 was easily mistaken for an 8. The Mint struck only 214,000 circulation strikes of the No Arrows, Open 3 variety before the Act of February 12, 1873 increased the weight of the half dollar from 12.44 grams to 12.50 grams. To denote this change, arrows were added to the obverse design, as had been done earlier in 1853, 1854 and 1855 when the weight was also changed. The Arrows coinage accounted for the majority of 1873 half dollars struck at the Philadelphia Mint: 1,815,200 circulation strikes and 500 Proofs.<p>While the No Arrows, Open 3 is the leading rarity of the date, the No Arrows, Close 3 coins are also more challenging to collect than the Arrows type. The offered coin has the added distinction of bold triple punching at the base of the digit 3 in the date, Wiley and Bugert (1993) assigning the associated WB-104 attribution an impressive Rarity-7+ rating in Mint State. From the Abigail Collection, Part II.
