1796 Draped Bust Half Dollar - 16 Stars
Strike Type
Coin Details
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026, from published price guides and, in some cases, recorded auction sales. For most coins the range runs from a well-worn example (around G-4) to an uncirculated one, but individual coins can sell for more or less depending on grade, eye appeal and demand. Compare recent sales of similar coins for a closer estimate.
Auction Record
- Price realized
- $822,500
- Sold
- Grade
- MS66
- Auction house
- Stack's Bowers
Description
The 1796 Draped Bust Half Dollar - 16 Stars is a half dollar minted at the Philadelphia Mint, within the Draped Bust Half Dollars 1796-1807 series. Mint records give 3,918 half dollars for 1796 and 1797 together; the 1796 coins are traditionally credited with the 934 of two deliveries early in 1797, while Steve Tompkins estimates 1,934; the 16 Stars share is unknown. The obverse features Liberty facing right with draped bust and ribbon-bound hair, a portrait traditionally credited to Gilbert Stuart, and the reverse displays a small eagle within an open wreath, with the fraction 1/2 below. First year of the Draped Bust Half Dollar. Struck in 89.2% silver, 10.8% copper, weighing 13.48 grams, 32.5 mm in diameter, with a lettered: fifty cents or half a dollar edge. Cataloged as PCGS #6058.
External References
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