Desirable 1802 Half Dime to be Offered at Auction!

DALLAS, TEXAS: There are many rare dates in the early U.S. series of gold, silver, and copper coins, with the 1802 half dime ranking high among these. Although the estimated population of the 1802 half dime is in the range of 35 to 50 coins, these pieces are offered for sale only infrequently. When a collector finally lays his hands on one, it is almost always a long-term acquisition.

"Over many years and several hundred thousand auction lots we've offered," said Greg Rohan, President of Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, "this is only the ninth example of an 1802 half dime we've had the pleasure to present. We handle one example of this date, considered by several leading experts to be one of the 100 greatest U.S. coins, for every 100,000 lots to appear in our auction. The finest known examples of this date grade in the AU range, thus the VF30 grade coin offered here is most desirable."

"Considering all numismatic auctions, held by many different firms, this date appears only about once per year," Rohan continued. "Fortunately for collectors, authentication is relatively easy as all examples are from a single die pair with a distinctive obverse. It would be virtually impossible to successfully alter any other date in the series. The obverse has a large 8 and a high 2, leaning left. The reverse die was used in 1801, 1802, and 1803. A leaf joins the center of C and another has its tip under the right upright of I. No other Heraldic Eagle half dime reverse has this combination of leaf positions."

"The example we're offering displays excellent surfaces," Rohan said, "presenting an opportunity to acquire a pleasing mid-grade example of this date that should not be taken lightly. The advanced collector must consider the experience of Jules Reiver, who felt he could acquire an example at any time, and never accomplished the goal during a lifetime of passionate and dedicated collecting. The 1802 half dime was one of only a few early U.S. die varieties in the silver series that he never owned. Learn from Reiver's experience - this is your opportunity to acquire this coin, and gain a badge of distinction among collectors of early federal coinage."

Heritage Auction Galleries will offer the 1802 H10C VF30 PCGS in their upcoming Signature Auction, August 13-14, 2006, to be held at The Warwick Denver Hotel, 1776 Grant Street, Denver, CO, 80203.

Images, descriptions, and prices realized from all of Heritage's previous auctions are available in the Permanent Auction Archives at the Heritage website, www.HA.com.

To reserve your copy of a catalog for any upcoming Heritage auction, please contact Nicole Jewell, c/o Heritage Auction Galleries, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219, or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272.