1806/5 50c Draped Bust Half Dollar Overton-103 PCGS AU58 Overdate
This coin is the second highest graded Overton-103 1806/5 Overdate Draped Bust Dollar.
Q. David Bowers and Mike Sherman write that the minting of half dollars resumed in 1801 after a three-year hiatus between 1798 and 1800. This style, which continued through 1807, continued the Draped Bust obverse motif introduced in 1796, with 13 stars (seven left and six right) now standardized. The new “heraldic eagle” reverse introduced on the dimes and dollars in 1798, and the half dimes in 1800 now appeared on the halves as well. An adaptation of the Great Seal of the United States, it consisted of an eagle with a shield on its breast, holding arrows and an olive branch, with a scroll inscribed E PLURIBUS UNUM in its beak. Above the eagle is an arc of clouds, below which is a group of stars. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds. No denomination appears.
Nearly all specimens encountered display weakness of striking in one area or another, with the quality of strike becoming worse and worse as the years advanced. Nearly all halves dated 1806 and 1807 show weakness. Specimens are typically found in grades from Very Good to Very Fine, although Extremely Fine pieces can be found with some frequency. AU pieces are scarce, and strictly Uncirculated coins are rare. Even an Uncirculated specimen of 1807, for example, is apt to be very weakly defined in such areas as the rims, the obverse and reverse stars, and parts of the eagle. This coin is a rare exception.
This coin is featured twice in the PCGS Coinfacts page as the second and third highest graded coin in the census likely because this coin has been cracked out of its holder at least twice in order to upgrade it to uncirculated by enterprising former owners.
https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1806-5-50c-overton-103-large-stars/39299
