"1883" Hawaiian Fantasy Strike - Half Dollar, Obverse Hub Impression

Coin Details

Description

This obverse hub impression of the Hawaiian 1/2 Dollar (hapalua) denomination shows the Kalakaua portrait from the original hub used to create dies for the Hawaiian half dollar. The hapalua was the second-largest denomination in the 1883 coinage series, with a total mintage of 700,000 pieces, making it the most common Hawaiian silver coin by mintage. The obverse hub for the half dollar carried the same Kalakaua portrait design as the other denominations but at a larger scale appropriate to the 30.6mm diameter of the half dollar planchet. Charles Barber adapted his portrait design across four denomination sizes while maintaining consistent artistic quality and recognizable royal imagery. Despite being the highest-mintage denomination, the Hawaiian half dollar saw heavy circulation in the islands, and high-grade examples are scarce. This hub impression, produced outside the normal coinage process, offers a pristine view of the design as originally engraved, without the softening that comes from the die-making and mass striking processes.

Rarity Notes

Very rare. Hub impressions of the half dollar are among the scarcer types. Approximately 10-30 examples survive. PCGS #511341.

Cross References

PCGS #511341; Medcalf-Russell