Values
A lettered-edge Capped Bust half’s market depends on the date, the overdate, and the grade. This page is a series reference, not a price list.
The G, VF, and MS-63 columns sit in the mintage chart below. Those figures are from the NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. They are a published guide, not an offer and not melt. A blank cell means that grade was not printed in this pass. Reeded-edge Capped Bust halves 1836–1839 are not this page.
A dealer looking at the coin in hand will beat a guide number. If you are trying to sell a pile of them, start with how to sell a coin collection and the Ohio coin dealer directory.
Key Dates
PCGS CoinFacts and NGC named no traditional key-date list for this series in this pass. This page will not invent one. Do not call 1815 a key just because the printed count is smaller than 1814.
There is no key-date bolding on the mintage chart for that reason. A worn common date is still worn.
Errors
These are named varieties. This page will not invent a count.
Overdates. NGC names several, including 1815/2. This chart keeps the parent year when NGC printed one mintage for the year. This page will not invent a split count.
Reeded-edge 1836–1839. A different NGC subcategory. Not this page.
Compare the coin in hand to the NGC Coin Explorer lettered-edge page. We do not host their plates.
Varieties
This page is the lettered-edge half, 1807 through 1836. Collectors attribute the die marriages by Overton numbers. These are the date and letter styles standard guides name on top of that system. Reeded-edge halves are not this page. This is not every Overton number.
- Overton numbersEach die marriage has an O number. A normal lettered-edge half is still one date until the Overton number says otherwise. This page does not print the catalog.
- 1815/2The 1815 date is an overdate. Guides name 1815/2. A story about 1816 does not belong here. This page already says 1816 was not struck.
- 1817/3An overdate guides name. A regular 1817 is not this punch.
- 1820 square base 2 and curl base 2Two shapes of the 2. Guides list both. They are date punches, not two mints.
- 1834 large date and small dateTwo date sizes. Guides also separate large letters and small letters on the reverse of 1834. This page does not print a count for either.
Names follow PCGS CoinFacts and NGC, the same publishers this site already cites. This is a name list, not a price list and not a count.
Mintage
Lettered-edge Capped Bust halves were struck at Philadelphia. The counts below are the NGC Coin Explorer business-strike cells that printed a mintage in this pass.
| Year | Mint | Mintage | NGC ID | G | VF | MS-63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1807 | P | 750,500 | 16086 | $175 | $850 | $15,000 |
| 1808 | P | 1,368,600 | 16090 | $100 | $350 | $5,800 |
| 1809 | P | 1,405,810 | 16092 | $105 | $275 | $5,100 |
| 1810 | P | 1,276,276 | 16095 | $95 | $285 | $5,500 |
| 1811 | P | 1,203,644 | 16096 | $90 | $205 | $3,850 |
| 1812 | P | 1,628,059 | 16100 | $100 | $265 | $4,100 |
| 1813 | P | 1,241,903 | 16103 | $90 | $210 | $4,150 |
| 1814 | P | 1,039,075 | 16105 | $95 | $210 | $4,275 |
| 1815 | P | 47,150 | — | — | — | — |
| 1817 | P | 1,215,567 | 16109 | $95 | $190 | $4,125 |
| 1818 | P | 1,960,322 | 16113 | $67 | $135 | $3,325 |
| 1819 | P | 2,208,000 | 16117 | $70 | $175 | $3,575 |
| 1820 | P | 751,122 | 16121 | $75 | $180 | $6,100 |
| 1821 | P | 1,305,797 | 16128 | $85 | $135 | $3,850 |
| 1822 | P | 1,559,573 | 16129 | $70 | $140 | $3,750 |
| 1823 | P | 1,694,200 | 16131 | $68 | $135 | $2,800 |
| 1824 | P | 3,504,954 | 16137 | $65 | $105 | $2,350 |
| 1825 | P | 2,943,166 | 16142 | $75 | $150 | $2,400 |
| 1826 | P | 4,004,180 | 16143 | $75 | $140 | $2,300 |
| 1827 | P | 5,493,400 | 16144 | $75 | $150 | $2,375 |
| 1828 | P | 3,075,200 | 16148 | $65 | $115 | $2,350 |
| 1829 | P | 3,712,156 | 16154 | $75 | $125 | $2,225 |
| 1830 | P | 4,764,800 | 16156 | $70 | $95 | $2,225 |
| 1831 | P | 5,873,660 | 16159 | $70 | $95 | $2,200 |
| 1832 | P | 4,797,000 | 16160 | $70 | $95 | $2,225 |
| 1833 | P | 5,206,000 | 16163 | $70 | $100 | $2,250 |
| 1834 | P | 6,412,004 | 16164 | $70 | $95 | $2,200 |
| 1835 | P | 5,352,006 | — | — | — | — |
| 1836 | P | 6,545,000 | — | — | — | — |
Mintage: NGC Coin Explorer, retrieved 2026-08-23. A blank year in the prose is a year NGC did not print. These are Explorer manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Collector-standard year/mint presentation follows A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book). These cells are Mint manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Values: NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. Guide values, not offers. Not melt. NGC IDs link to the same publisher’s price-guide listing.
Key date names: NGC Coin Explorer. Bold rows are only dates that publisher named.
NGC ID: NGC Coin Explorer listing number, retrieved 2026-08-21. A dash means this pass did not record an ID.
1815, 1835, and 1836 lettered-edge counts are the Wikipedia figures. 1816 was not struck, so it is not a row. Reeded-edge coins are not rows here. The grade columns in the same box are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer.
Read the date. Read the edge. Look at the cheek before you argue an overdate.
Specifications
These are mint specs, not what a dealer pays. Wear can take a little weight off. We will not invent a tolerance.
This page is the lettered-edge type. Thickness 1.7 mm is the Numista lettered-edge figure. Reeded-edge Capped Bust halves are not this page.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 32.5 mm |
| Thickness | 1.7 mm |
| Weight | 13.48 g |
| Composition | 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper |
| Edge | Lettered |
| Designer | John Reich |
Thickness 1.7 mm, weight 13.48 g, diameter 32.5 mm, and .8924 silver are the Numista lettered-edge type page figures (N#10637). Reeded-edge Capped Bust halves 1836–1839 are not this page.
Grading
A lettered-edge Capped Bust half wears first on Liberty’s cheek and cap, and on the eagle’s breast. Overdates are a variety conversation, not a grade.
This page is the 1807–1836 lettered-edge type. Reeded-edge Capped Bust halves 1836–1839 are not this series.
Key Diagnostic Areas
| Area | What to examine | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Liberty’s cheek and cap | The cheekbone and the lines in the cap. | Those high points flatten while the stars can still look busy. |
| Eagle’s breast | The feathers on the eagle’s chest. | The breast goes slick first. Leftover wing feathers do not save it. |
| Lettered edge | FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR on the edge. | That lettered edge is this type. A reeded edge is a different series. |
| Date | The numerals under the bust. | A worn date is a worn half. Overdates are named varieties, not extra grades. |
Circulated & Mint State
These cards describe this coin, not a second copy of the P-1 through MS-70 chart. The shared numbers live on the glossary.
See graded photos. The photos that show what VF looks like live at PCGS. We do not host their plates. NGC Coin Explorer is another look if you want a second set.
What each named grade looks like on this design.
Poor
Poor
A disk you can still call the half dollar if you already know it.
- The high points are gone.
- The date may be a shadow.
- Do not invent a variety at this wear.
AG
About Good
You might read a digit. The high points are already slick.
- The design is an outline.
- If you cannot read the date without hoping, stay here.
- Look at the type before you name a variety.
Good
Good
The date is readable. The design is still mostly an outline.
- The high points are flat.
- Leftover field detail does not save it.
- This is a worn coin, not a details story.
VG
Very Good
The date is clear. A little life returns away from the high points.
- Some leftover detail comes back.
- The high points are still tired.
- Do not clean the date to see it better.
Fine
Fine
You can follow the design. The high points are outlined, not sharp.
- The type is readable.
- The high points are not crisp.
- The date should be clear.
VF
Very Fine
The design is doing real work. The high points still decide.
- Leftover detail sits away from the cheek and eagle’s breast.
- The center of the cheek and eagle’s breast is still the worn spot.
- A pretty tone does not hide a slick high point.
EF
Extremely Fine
Most of the coin looks sharp. The high points tell on it.
- Light wear on the same high points.
- The rest of the coin can look better than the grade.
- Trust the cheek and eagle’s breast.
AU
About Uncirculated
Almost no wear — and almost lives on the same spots.
- A trace of rub on the cheek and eagle’s breast.
- Luster may still sit in the fields.
- A bright slick high point is still rub.
Basal MS
Mint State
No wear. The fight is marks and luster.
- No rub on the cheek and eagle’s breast.
- Marks and luster decide how this mint-state coin lives.
- A bright chewed coin is still chewed.
Choice
Choice Mint State
Still no wear. Cleaner fields than basal mint state.
- Same no-wear rule on the cheek and eagle’s breast.
- Fewer marks in the fields.
- A slab is an opinion in plastic.
Gem
Gem Mint State
Clean high points and fields. Still mint state, still not a story.
- No wear on the cheek and eagle’s breast.
- Marks and luster, not a romance copied onto MS-63.
- The glossary has the numbers.
Proofs are not the circulation story on this page. This page does not invent a PR price grid — NGC did not print one in the 2026-08-23 sheet used here. The proof numbers live on the glossary.
Copper color designations (BN, RB, RD) do not apply here. Those belong on copper coins such as the Indian Head cent. See the Lincoln Wheat cent and the glossary.
Overview
A lettered-edge Capped Bust half is a United States fifty-cent silver coin with Liberty in a cap on the front, an eagle on the back, and FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR on the edge. Collectors on this page mean 1807 through 1836. People also call it the Bust half. That name still points at this lettered-edge type here.
People like them because the type is large and the edge still talks. They are also easy to ruin. A wiped half looks “better” to a seller and worse to everyone else.
This page is a series article, not a shop listing.
History
The Mint introduced the Capped Bust half in 1807. The lettered edge runs through 1836. Reeded-edge coins begin in 1836 and are a different series. There is no 1816 lettered-edge half in the NGC rows this page uses.
This page will not invent a shop list to fill the years between.
Design
Obverse: Liberty facing left in a cap, thirteen stars, LIBERTY on the headband, and the date. Reverse: an eagle, E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and 50 C. Edge: FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR.
Look at the cheek, the eagle’s breast, and the edge. Those spots decide.
People Also Ask
What years are lettered-edge Capped Bust halves?
This page is the lettered-edge half, 1807 through 1836. 1815, 1835, and 1836 are the Wikipedia lettered-edge counts. 1816 was not struck. Reeded-edge 1836–1839 is not this page.
How much is a Capped Bust half worth?
It depends on the date, the overdate, and the grade. The G, VF, and MS-63 columns in the mintage chart are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer. A dealer looking at the actual coin will beat a guide number.
Is the reeded-edge Capped Bust half on this page?
No. NGC splits lettered-edge and reeded-edge into two subcategories. This page is lettered-edge only.
Why is there no 1816?
NGC did not print an 1816 lettered-edge business-strike mintage in this pass. This page will not invent one.
Are overdates extra mintage rows?
No. This chart keeps the parent year when NGC printed one count. Overdates are named varieties, not extra manufacture totals.
Collector Considerations
Buy the coin, not the story.
If you inherited a box, do not scrub the date to “see it better.” Keep them in the holders they arrived in, or in cheap cardboard flips, and take the box to a person who sees this series every week. The coin dealer directory starts in Ohio. This site does not invent shop names to fill a paragraph.
Raw coins are fine. So are slabs. What is not fine is a coin that has been cleaned until the fields look like glass, then offered as “original.”
If you collect by type, one honest circulated 1830 will teach you the cheek and the lettered edge. For a reduced quarter of the same era, read the Capped Bust quarter.
A Final Word
These coins reward people who slow down. Read the date. Read the mint mark. Leave the polish under the sink.
When you want the reduced quarter, the Capped Bust quarter is already here.