The 1802 half dime is one of the great rarities in U.S. numismatics. It is without a doubt the key date early half dime. Despite its notoriety as a classic numismatic rarity, less is known about the 1802 half dime’s mintage and survival rate than that of many other rare American coins … until now.
The book Numismatic Background and Census of 1802 Half Dimes: A Classic American Rarity (Ivy Press, 2017) by Jon P. Amato documents the known examples of this important coin issue, including their level of preservation, provenance and their prices realized at auction.
Collectors seeking to acquire one of these coveted rarities will have some idea of how many pieces exist in the various grade levels, and how much they might expect to pay for a particular specimen when it appears on the market.
The 64-page book chronicles the lone die pair used to strike all known 1802 half dimes, as well as the number of coins known to be struck by the U.S. Mint. Extensively researched, Amato went back to auction records as early as 1859 to document the 167 appearances of this issue for the nearly 140-year period ending in 1998.
Numismatic Background and Census of 1802 Half Dimes: A Classic American Rarity by Jon P. Amato, Ph. D., edited by James L. Halperin and Mark Van Winkle, is available from Ivy Press for $29.95 at HA.com
