2016-09-02 Fri

1971 was the year when the first copper-nickel clad half dollars were struck. 155 million coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint and a 302 million at the Denver Mint. Original rolls of these coins are still found and Gem Uncirculated versions are fairly common. MS-65 graded coins have full lustre, few contact marks and a good strike which varies in the half dollars from 1970s and 1980s.

In 1970, the U.S. Mint struck only 2 million half dollars, all at the Denver Mint which was increased 150 times the next year. More than 200,000 coins were struck using each die pair. Over time, heat and pressure wear out the dies due to which detail soften; resulting in flat strikes with almost absent detailing. This late die state creates irregular texture to a coin’s fields. Sometimes legends become faint and fade into the rim.

The coins depicted here clearly show the difference in sharpness of the designs resulting out of late die states. The hair detail is missing and a different texture is visible in the fields and on the neck. The shield merges into the eagle’s neck and the feather's detail is lost on the reverse. Both the coins are fully struck but even then the differences are high.

The coins that are struck later are sold at around $11 and the earlier ones are sold at $33.