1844 half dime

[Lee Barner]

my wife discovered a 1844 half dime in our collection plate at church today. the date is still very readable and has an "O" mint mark. with a good glass and some imagination you can still see some facial features of the seated liberty. where was the "O" mint? thanks. lee

 

[Kanewpadle]

Is this it?
1844 O H10C MS Seated Liberty Half Dimes | NGC

 

[sheepdawg]

New Orleans.

 

[Skeet 028]

Narlins otherwise known as New Orleans

 

[snuffy51]

I've never had any money long enough for it to get old, but I do like old stuff. Just ask my wife.

 

[Lee Barner]

kanewpadle, that is it. thanks. that one is in a whole lot better condition than the one she found. lee

 

[Tom S.]

Very cool find! An acquaintance of mine once got a gold piece back in change for a pack of cigarettes he had bought.

Mint Marks:
C - Charlotte, North Carolina
CC - Carson City, Nevada
D* - Denver, Colorado
P - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
O - New Orleans, Louisiana
S - San Francisco, California
W - West Point, New York

* At one time, D was used to indicate Dahlonega Mint, Georgia from 1838-1861

Today, only "D", "P", "S" and "W" remain in use, with the latter two producing collector specimens only.

 

[lawandorder]

Lee my folks migrated from Eastern Tennessee to North East Arkansas that year. They may have spent that half dime on powder as they passed through.

 

[italiansport]

I guess value here at $200 - $500 without seeing it.
Jim

 

[Texas Star]

Why mint a half dime when we had the nickel?

 

[OFT II]

Why mint a half dime when we had the nickel?

If I remember correctly the half dime was silver and minting began before the nickel. Later, they were made at the same time, just out of different metals.

 

[Tom S.]

If I remember correctly the half dime was silver and minting began before the nickel. Later, they were made at the same time, just out of different metals.

The "Nickel" was started in 1866 and was first called the Shield 5 cents piece. However, because it's composition was mainly nickle, that name was adopted, possibly in part to distinguish it from the half dime, which was minted from 1794 to 1873.

Other US coins that folks may not be aware of include half pennies (1794 - 1857), large cents (1793 - 1857, they were about an inch in diameter), 2 cent pieces (1864 - 1873), 3 cent pieces (1851 - 1889) and 20 cent pieces (1875 - 1878).

Besides coins, the US also for a time, made fractional currency, which is to say paper money that was valued the same as coins, coming in 3, 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 cent denominations. The reason for fractional currency was a direct result of the civil war and was needed as silver coins were being hoarded in such numbers as to create a severe shortage of coins.

Aren't you guys glad to have a numismatist (coin collector) as a fellow member?

 

[hoc9sw]

I wonder if someone's kid got into the family treasure box, or if it was an older person who has lost perspective, or just wanted to give something. I've seen all of the above happen with the Salvation Army collection kettle my Mom tends (as a volunteer).

I would hold on to it for a month or two to see if someone comes forward asking about it. Once it is "clear", I'm sure someone here can make a valid contribution to your church in exchange for it.

I'm betting from your description that it is in "fair" condition (not the F for Fine), which puts the value as a placeholder in a type collection. The marker for condition is "are any (how many) letters of the word "LIBERTY" on the shield readable". There were 220,000 minted.