1845-O 50C XF45 PCGS号6249

Ron Guth

In the 1840's, the New Orleans Mint produced the bulk of Half Dollars for the nation.  1845 was no exception.  In that year, the Philadelphia Mint produced 589,000 Half Dollars, compared to just over 2 million at New Orleans.  This fact is reflected in the PCGS Population Report, which shows 53 1845 Half Dollars and 151 1845-O Half Dollars (as of March 2012).  A scarcer variant of the 1845-O Half Dollar is the "No Drapery" variety, caused when the fold of fabric hanging from Liberty''s left arm (viewer's right) was effaced because of over-zelaous polishing of the die.

The 1845-O Half Dollar is scarce in Mint State, with a fairly even distribution between the grades from MS-62 to MS-64.  The finest examples certified by PCGS include 3 PCGS MS-65s.