1808 Draped Bust to Left Half Eagle - 1808/7

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Description

This is the 1808/7 overdate variety of the 1808 Draped Bust to Left Half Eagle. Dies were expensive, and a serviceable die left over at the end of a year was often kept and re-dated rather than destroyed: the new digits were punched directly over the old ones. The earlier date survives underneath wherever its strokes fall outside the digits punched over it, which is why an overdate is read from the shapes that do not belong to the date as printed. The effect is in the die, so every coin struck from it carries the same remnant in the same position. Any mintage given below counts the entire issue for this date and mint, not this variety: a variety comes from one die or a few, and how many coins they struck was never separately recorded. The 1808 Draped Bust to Left Half Eagle - 1808/7 was struck at the Philadelphia Mint as a Gold Half Eagle in the Draped Bust to Left Half Eagles 1807-1812 series. The 1808 Draped Bust to Left Half Eagle issue as a whole had a mintage of 55,578; how many coins carry this variety is unknown. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a mob cap or turban with a larger, draped bust and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. Multiple die varieties exist. Struck in 91.7% gold, 8.3% silver and copper, weighing 8.75 grams, 25 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Cataloged as PCGS #8103.