[The following article is published courtesy of DLRC Press and its authors, Randy Wiley and Bill Bugert. This information was originally published in 1993 in The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars.]
* * *
PROOFS: 550
VARIETIES:
- Authors’ Research Effort: substantial
- Number of Die Marriages Documented: 4
- Number of Head Dies Identified:4
- Number of Tail Dies Identified: 4
- Number of Collar Reed Counts Identified: 3 (151, 152, 153)
- Standard Diameter or Diameter Range: 1.200 to 1.203 inches
- Number of Major Varieties: 1
- WB-101. NORMAL DATE. (4 HEAD DIES)
This variety includes minor date placement variations including low and high date. (Breen-4909)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- This date has often been hoarded and promoted because of its relatively small mintage. The “whiplash” effect of some of these promotions is a belief that the 1862 is much more common than traditionally believed. The truth is somewhere in between.
- For additional information on the Guatemala Hoard coins, see the Miscellaneous Notes section at the beginning of this chapter.
