50 Cents / 1/2 Dollar 'Capped Bust Half Dollar'

The Capped Bust Half Dollar was designed by John Reich, a German-born engraver who had been working as an indentured servant before the Mint purchased his freedom for $50 in 1807. Congress had mandated half dollars as a workhorse denomination, and they functioned exactly that way — bulk-counted in bank vaults rather than passed hand to hand, which explains why so many survivors show heavy bag marks alongside surprisingly intact high relief.

The series spans enough years to encompass significant internal variation: the 1836 issues mark the transition to steam-powered coinage, and late reeded-edge examples from that year were struck on the new Contamin portrait lathe. Die marriages for this type have been exhaustively catalogued by Al Overton, with over 200 distinct pairings documented.