#us silver

So most of the US Olympic team is crying because they got silver, the announcer goes "Sometimes you a woman cries in front of a man, and you wish you had something to say to her. But sometimes, you just need to say nothing at all." But I'm thinking, "Especially if she's an Olympic hockey player who can kick your ass."

Mintage records indicate that 1,758 pieces were produced in 1794 and 160,295 in 1795 although it has been suggested that as many as 5,000 to 6,000 of the reported figure for 1795 could have been dated 1794. In any event, 1794 is a major rarity in all grades. The type set collector will probably desire an example dated 1795. Most pieces seen are in all grades from About Good to Very Fine. Examples are apt to show mint-caused adjustment marks and to be lightly struck in of preference and pocketbook. Extremely Fine pieces are scarce but still they appear on the market with some frequency. AU coins are rare, and pieces that can be described as strictly Uncirculated are very rare.

Most often encountered among half dollars of this type are pieces dated 1795, these being about 10 times more plentiful than those dated 1794. Examples of both years are apt to be seen in lower grades from About Good to Fine. Very Fine coins are scarce, Extremely Fine pieces are scarcer yet, and AU coins are rare. Uncirculated examples are seldom met with. Areas of light striking characterize most pieces, as do parallel min-caused adjustment marks made during the planchet preparation process. As is true of other early issues, these were workhorse coins intended for use in the channels of commerce. Few if any pieces were set-aside for collectors at the time of issue. Numerous die varieties exist among early half dollars and are described in a book on the subject by Al C. Overton.

Kevin Robbins, Gold Solution of Fort Myers/Cape Coral.