Overton Variety Discovered At Heritage

Borckardt Finds New 1806 O-130 Rarity

Dallas, TX: A previously unknown die pairing in the 1806 Bust half dollar series has been discovered by Heritage Senior Cataloger Mark Borckardt. This new variety will be known as Overton-130 and is the first recorded combination of two previously known dies: the obverse is the same die found on Overton varieties 123, 124, and 128, while the reverse was previously known only on Overton-115. The new variety has been certified by NGC as VF30 and carries the additional "Discovery Coin" designation. The coin will be available for viewing at the Long Beach Coin Expo, and will be offered by Heritage in their Central States Numismatic Society Signature Auction, scheduled for St. Louis on May 9-12, 2007. Spirited attention from the many specialists in this series is expected for this unique discovery coin.

After searching for such a new variety for more than thirty years, Borckardt discovered the new 1806 variety while attributing half dollars from a consignment received by Leo Frese, the firm's Executive Vice President. Borckardt reflected: "For any student of early American coinage, the ultimate experience is the discovery of a new die variety. The discovery of any new die variety, regardless of the series, represents a highlight of dedicated numismatic study. That it occurred in a series studied as extensively as the early half dollars is especially exciting."

Discussing the process of discovery, Borckardt noted: "The realization of such a discovery is not immediate, but rather a slow awareness that the coin is special. My first thought was that perhaps I had overlooked something obvious, so I immediately reviewed all of the known 1806 half dollar varieties - twice! I then considered each side of the coin independently. I identified the obverse with certainty as that of O-123, 124, and 128. Next, I double-checked each reverse for these three varieties, without finding a match. At this point, my level of excitement was growing. After reviewing all known reverse dies, a distinct match was found for O-115. I was now certain that I had found a new variety, but naturally still desired further confirmation. I ordered detailed photographs, and emailed them to four individuals whose opinions I hold in high regard."

Among those who examined the photos was Sheridan Downey, a dealer specializing in early half dollars, who commented: "I see no reason to doubt your attribution of this nifty piece. The obverse is quickly identified by the (considerable) distance between star 1 and the lower curls. The star points and related diagnostics of Obverse 11 seem to match your consignor's coin. The reverse [is] Overton's K, found on the O.115."

The first definitive reference on half dollar varieties was published by Martin L. Beistle in 1929, describing 19 varieties of 1806 half dollars. In 1967, Al Overton listed 22 varieties, with the list expanded to 25 varieties when his second edition was published three years later. Two more varieties had been identified by the third edition of Overton's reference in 1990, and only three more since. The most recent discoveries for this date were the 1806 O-128 variety discovered in November 1995 and the 1806 O-129 variety identified in October 2005. Each of those varieties, as well as this O-130 variety, are currently unique.

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