1. 1 Carson City Half Dollars By Bill Bugert

2. 2 Background  Why a Branch Mint at Carson City ? –(1859) Comstock Load –Too much silver! – Actions by silver mining lobbyists –(1863) Treasury didn’t want Branch Mint but signed into law  Abraham Curry, 1 st CC Branch Mint Superintendent  Opened for business in 1870 –Sporadic gold and silver coinage thru 1893 –10¢, 20¢, 25¢, 50¢, Silver $1, Gold $5-$20 –Closed in 1893 –Branch Mint building now a State of Nevada Museum –Extremely popular collectors’ items

3. 3 Carson City Half Dollars  Historical events affecting half dollar mintages –1870 - Carson City Branch Mint began minting half dollars –1875 - Specie Payment Redemption Act –1877 - Return of old silver –1878 - Bland-Allison Act

4. 4 Carson City Half Dollars Put in Perspective  Total Mintage of all CC Half Dollars  5.3 Million  97 die marriages  Total Mintage of only 1877-S Half Dollars  5.3 Million  38 die marriages

5. 5 1870-CC Half Dollars  First CC half dollar  A series key  About 200 known –Louisiana (Pohler) - Wiley hoard  Mostly low grades  5 die marriages: 3 obverse and 3 reverse dies  All large CCs  No interesting varieties

6. 6 1871-CC Half Dollars  A series semi-key  About 650 known  Mostly low grades  7 die marriages: 3 obverse and 5 reverse dies  All Large CCs  One sided proof (Breen) with repunched 71

7. 7 1872-CC Half Dollars  About 1,000 known  Mostly low grades  9 die marriages: 4 obverse and 5 reverse dies  All Large CCs  Repunched 2

8. 8 1873-CC No Arrows Half Dollars  About 500 known  Many low grades  2 die marriages: 2 obverse dies and 1 reverse die with Small CC  Repunched 1

9. 9 1873-CC With Arrows Half Dollars  About 750 known  Mostly low grades –Berlinghof (Blake) hoard  6 die marriages: 5 obverse and 2 reverse dies with Small and Large CCs  One rare die marriage die marriage

10. 10 1874-CC With Arrows Half Dollars  A series semi-key  About 300 known  Many low grades  3 die marriages: 3 obverse and 1 reverse die with Small CCs  1 major die state die state

11. 11 1875-CC Half Dollars  About 4,000 known  Available in all grades  12 die marriages: 9 obverse and 5 reverse dies all with Medium CCs  Rare die marriages –Lump in obv shield –Die gouges in rev dentils in rev dentils

12. 12 1876-CC Half Dollars  About 8,000 known  Available in all grades  37 die marriages*: 27 obverse and 26 reverse dies  3 mintmark sizes: Small, Medium, Large CCs  So-called Proof  Many proof-like dies * = One new die marriage discovered by Jack Marston in July 2010

13. 13 1876-CC Half Dollars  Digit in dentils  Gouge on Liberty  Die defect on 4 obverse dies

14. 14 1877-CC Half Dollars  About 6,000 known  Available in all grades  15 die marriages: 12 obverse and 13 reverse dies  2 mintmark sizes: Small and Medium CCs  2 reverse hubs

15. 15 1877-CC Half Dollars  2 reverse hubs  Repunched 77

16. 16 1878-CC Half Dollars  Last CC half dollar  A series semi-key  About 250 known  Many low grades but many Mint State coins  Single die marriage with Medium CCs

17. 17 CC Half Dollars Summary  Minted 1870-1878  5.3 Million minted ~22,000 exist  97 die marriages  Interesting varieties  Very popular with collectors  Typically, higher acquisition costs

18. 18 Available Resources  Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC)  Carson City Coin Club of America (C4OA)  The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars, Randy Wiley and Bill Bugert, 1993  A Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties, Volume II, Carson City Branch Mint, Bill Bugert, 2010

19. Acknowledgements Randy Wiley My good friend, colleague, and collaborator over the decades who has shared a mutual passion of collecting and studying seated half dollars, and allowed me to study and photograph his CC half dollar collection 19

20. 20 New CC Half Dollar Variety Book  With Special Edits by, Consultations with, and Featuring the CC Half Dollar Collection of Randy Wiley  Details all known Carson City Branch Mint half dollar die marriages (96) with narratives, photo diagnostics, rarity ratings, background information, etc.  Includes over 900 close up and full coin photographs  Has 220 pages in 8.5 x 11 inch size  Printed on high quality 100# anthem gloss paper  Available in 3-hole punched format (ready for your binder) or plastic comb binding format  Priced here at the ANA at $45 with pick up  $50 postpaid (please specify format) delivered in the U.S.  Available from the author here at the show or at: Bill Bugert 1230 Red Rock Road Gettysburg, PA 17325-6927

21. 21 Edge Reed Count Date143144152153154 1870-CC√ 1871-CC√ 1872-CC√ 1873-CC√ 1874-CC√ 1875-CC√ 1876-CC√√√√√ 1877-CC√ 1878-CC√ Mintmark Size SmallMediumLarge Height of mintmark.028 -.030”.034 -.036”.041 -.043” 1870-CC√ 1871-CC√ 1872-CC√ 1873-CC No Arrows √ 1873-CC With Arrows √√ 1874-CC With Arrows √ 1875-CC√ 1876-CC√√√ 1877-CC Reverse Hub 1 √√ 1877-CC Reverse Hub 2 √ 1878-CC√