Tthe 1840 Medium Letters Seated Liberty Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) is an interesting variety of the series that was produced with a reverse die from the previous Capped Bust Half Dollar series. Furthermore, research into die varieties has shown that the reverse die came from the New Orleans Mint. The coins do not carry the “O” mint mark since during the prior series, the mint mark had been placed on the obverse of the coin. This makes the variety not only a mule of dies from two different series, but also one of the few cases where a branch mint coin is known to have been struck without the mint mark.
The total mintage of this peculiar variety is unknown, but it is believed to be only a small portion of the total mintage of 855,100 pieces reported to have been struck at the New Orleans Mint for that year. The variety has become increasing popular, and many collect the issue as part of a full set of New Orleans Half Dollars.
Coin Specifications
- Designer: Christian Gobrecht
- Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
- Weight: 13.36 grams
- Diameter: 30.6 mm
- Edge: Reeded
