1836-1839 Reeded Edge Varieties

[TJ'S Coins]

I've added some 1837-1839 Reeded Edge Half Dollars to my collection. The lettered edge Capped Bust Halves have the Overton/Parsley books to ascribe die varieties. Are there any significant die varieties for the Reeded Edge Halves? Where would one find a resource on this topic?

[TomB]

Jules Reiver wrote the authoritative VIM (variety identification manual) for this series of coins that I just adore, but the VIM is not user-friendly and does not contain images of the die marriages. This VIM is also out of print and exceptionally difficult to locate. As an example, it took me about three years to find my copy, but Heritage now has the VIM, or at least parts of it, online for free.

[TJ'S Coins]

Thanks Tom!

[James_OldeTowne]

I think you can sometimes find these attributed by "Beistle" numbers.

[TomB]

The Beistle book is also a bear to use and is also quite difficult to find. The Beistle book is about 250-pages and has no useful images, either. It was printed in 1929 and I have a copy of the first edition, though there might have been a reprint in the late 1960s. The Reiver VIM, mentioned previously, was published in 1988, is about 60-pages and has some very poor images. Whereas the Reiver VIM is dedicated to Reeded Edge halves, the Beistle book covers all US half dollar issues from 1794-1921 including commemoratives. Either book is difficult to obtain and tough to use.