Draped Bust Half Dime, Heraldic Eagle (1800-1805) | CoinWeek

Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle Half Dime (1800-1805): History, Design, Varieties, and Value

By CoinWeek Notes

After a two-year break, the United States Mint brought the half dime back in 1800. This time, the denomination returned with a familiar Draped Bust portrait of Liberty on the obverse and a dramatically different reverse. Robert Scot kept Liberty in place, but he gave the coin a Heraldic Eagle reverse based on the Great Seal of the United States. That change defines the type today.

The Half Dime Returns with a New Reverse Design

The Mint last struck half dimes in 1797. Then production stopped in 1798 and 1799. In 1800, the denomination returned. Scot’s Heraldic Eagle reverse had already appeared on other federal issues in the late 1790s. It first reached the quarter eagle in 1796, then the eagle in 1797, and then the dime, dollar, and half eagle in 1798. The half dime joined that design family in 1800.

The shield on the eagle follows heraldic convention. Horizontal hatching marks the blue chief, or upper band, as azure. Below that, vertical pales and open spaces create the red-and-white striped field. In other words, the reverse does more than decorate the coin. It also carries the symbolism of union that collectors know from the Great Seal.

Why These Half Dimes Are So Scarce

Whatever the exact cause, production stayed low throughout the series. Contemporary specialists point to weak demand for the denomination among bullion depositors, limited Mint capacity, or both. The official mintages for the type never topped 40,000 pieces. No half dimes appeared with the date 1804. Then, after the 1805 issue, the denomination disappeared again until 1829, when William Kneass introduced the new Capped Bust design.

Survival rates remain low. These tiny silver coins circulated hard. Later meltings also reduced the population. As a result, collectors face a short series with real scarcity across every date.

What Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle Half Dimes Are Worth

The market treats this type with respect. Collectors encounter 1800 more often than any other date in the series, which fits its status as the highest-mintage issue at 40,000 pieces and the most available date by type rarity. A few 1800 pieces also show prooflike surfaces in market descriptions. Even so, Heraldic Eagle half dimes still cost serious money in collector grades. They generally sell for less than comparable Small Eagle half dimes, but they never come cheap.

Current PCGS guide levels make that clear. At VF30, PCGS lists about $4,650 for the 1800, $5,000 for the 1801, $225,000 for the 1802, $4,650 for the 1803 Large 8, $10,500 for the 1803 Small 8, and $7,500 for the 1805. In Mint State, prices rise fast. Moreover, Gem pieces bring truly elite numbers.

Key Date

Meanwhile, the 1802 remains the series key and one of the great classic rarities in early federal silver.

The 1802 stands as the unquestioned key. It carries the lowest mintage of the type at 3,060 pieces. PCGS currently estimates about 35 known, and its CoinFacts rarity page shows no Mint State examples in the 60-or-better category. That makes the 1802 very expensive in every grade and effectively unobtainable as a confirmed Mint State coin in current census data.

Varieties & Better Dates

Specialists have studied this short series in depth. Most varieties show minor shifts in the placement of stars, letters, or date digits. Still, three names dominate collector conversation. First comes the 1800 issue includes the famous LIBEKTY variety, known as LM-3 in Logan-McCloskey attribution., created by a defective R punch. Then come the 1803 Large 8 and Small 8 varieties. Those varieties give the type much of its personality.

The 1805 also commands special attention. It holds the second-lowest mintage of the type at 15,600 pieces. PCGS notes that the condition census consists mostly of About Uncirculated coins, with Mint State examples extremely few. That scarcity helps push the 1805 above every other date except the 1802 once collectors reach VF30 and better.

Within the 1803 issue, the Small 8 variety outruns the Large 8 in most grades. PCGS reflects that spread in both rarity and price data. Finally, no proofs are known for the Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle half dime series.

Coin Design

Obverse: Liberty faces right on the obverse. Her long hair falls down her neck, and a ribbon ties it at the back. Drapery covers her shoulders and neckline in loose folds. LIBERTY sits at the top inside the dentils, while the date sits at the bottom. Thirteen six-pointed stars fill the side fields, with seven to the left and six to the right. On the LIBEKTY variety of 1800, the top horizontal bar of the R failed to fully form, so the letter looks like a K at first glance.

Reverse: The reverse carries UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the border. The eagle spreads its wings in full heraldic form. It holds a ribbon with E PLURIBUS UNUM in its beak. The ribbon passes in front of the right wing and behind the left. A Union Shield covers the eagle’s body. The left claw holds an olive branch, and the right claw holds a cluster of arrows. Above the eagle, 13 six-pointed stars form a pattern of six in the top row, five below, and one on each side of the head. Above the stars, a curved line of clouds stretches from wing to wing. No denomination appears. No mintmark appears either. Philadelphia struck every example.

Edge : The Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle half dime carries a reeded edge.

Coin Specifications

• Country: United States of America
• Years of issue: 1800-1805
• Denomination: Half Dime, or Five Cents
• Mintmark: None; all coins came from Philadelphia
• Mintage range: 40,000 in 1800 down to 3,060 in 1802
• Alloy: 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper
• Weight: about 1.34 to 1.35 grams
• Diameter: 16.5 mm
• Edge: Reeded
• Designer: Robert Scot
• Quality: Business strikes only; no proofs are known

References

Bowers, Q. David. The Expert’s Guide to Collecting and Investing in Rare Coins. Whitman Publishing.
Bowers, Q. David. A Guide Book of United States Type Coins. Whitman Publishing.
Breen, Walter. Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of U.S. Coins. Doubleday.
Guth, Ron, and Jeff Garrett. United States Coinage: A Study by Type. Whitman Publishing.
Logan, Russell J., and John W. McCloskey. Federal Half Dimes. John Reich Collectors Society.
Taxay, Don. The U.S. Mint and Coinage. Arco Publishing.
Yeoman, R.S., edited by Jeff Garrett. The Official Red Book: A Guide Book of United States Coins. Whitman Publishing.
Additional verification for this rewrite came from PCGS CoinFacts, the PCGS Price Guide, Stack’s Bowers Galleries, and Great Seal reference material.