Adding my 2 cents worth to RichH's post...

Rich just obtained a nice 1859 silver three cent piece. Well, I'll raise him 2 cents! I just got a nice 1859 half dime. NGC graded it MS 67 star, and CAC approved. It is pretty. The last few stars and the toe area are a little weak, but the strike is otherwise pretty good. The luster and toning are nice as well. There are a few tiny marks, most notably a nick on Miss Liberty's left wrist/hand (the one holding the pole).

The 1859 half dime is a one year, one mint sub-type. It used Anthony Paquet's modified obverse, with changes to the main design (e.g., Miss Liberty's appearance, larger letters in LIBERTY, etc.) and with hollow centered stars. This obverse also appears on the transitional half dime patterns of 1859 and 1860, the "coins without a country", so-called because the obverse still has stars while the new reverse omits UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The 1859-O half dime obverse dies were made from the older, normal star hub. Business strikes and proofs of 1860 and later used a new obverse in which the stars were replaced by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

In addition to my current primary collecting objective (the business strike seated half dime set, including major varieties), I keep my eyes open for nice type coins like Rich's trime. I just have not pulled the trigger on one for a few years. I guess that second priority is not very close to the first priority.

Here is the new half dime. Enjoy your hunting!

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