Half Dime Has Unusual Life Span

Question: I found two coins and two bills in my father’s personal belongings when he died. I’m very curious as to their worth. One coin is a United States of America half dime dated 1850, a gold coin with a lady’s head dated 1886; and two bills, one Chambre de Commerce de Nancy, cinquante centimes dated November 1918; the other Eine Mark, 12 August 1914. --H.S.

Answer: Let’s discuss your bills first. One is French, the other German. They have little or no collector value. The $2 1/2 gold piece (which it must be from your description, although your drawing is inconclusive) is worth $150 and up. It has a relatively low mintage, 4,088, so you might get lucky if it’s uncirculated.

But your truly interesting coin is the half dime. This has always been an unusual denomination with a distinguished life span running from 1794 to 1873. Half dimes are unfamiliar now, but at one time they were widely circulated because of their silver content.

Many varieties and types exist because of design changes during the half dime’s long run. Your 1850 piece is part of the Hughes-Gobrecht design, which lasted from 1840 to 1853. It’s known for the extra drapery (clothing) that was added to the seated Miss Liberty, all of this modification undertaken because of the wave of prudery that swept the world due to the modest Queen Victoria and her stuffy Prince Albert.

Almost 1 million half dimes were minted in Philadelphia (no mint mark) in 1850; 690,000 in New Orleans (an O mint mark), with those from New Orleans worth more than those from Philadelphia. Your coin is worth $12 and up, depending upon condition and mint.

Q: Recently we found several uncirculated proof sets purchased in the ‘70s. However, of particular interest were 36 boxed coins entitled “Legacy of John F. Kennedy,” an album and a certificate stating that the coins were .952 sterling silver. What is the value of this set of Kennedy coins? --C.W.H.

A: What you’ve described are not coins but medals. They were privately minted, probably in a limited edition of 10,000 or so. Such medals appeal to widespread collector interest but are seldom worth much more than the intrinsic value of the metal content. Contact a collector of Kennedy memorabilia and negotiate price.

Coin News

Traditionally, the coin fraternity opens the new year with the Florida United Numismatic (FUN) Convention in Tampa. This year’s show, today to Jan. 7, will feature the first intaglio print (pictured) by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The print is a composite, with the eagle engraved by M. W. Baldwin in 1898, the two ships by L. S. Schofield in 1904 and the lettering by F. Lamasure and H. L. Charlton in 1915. Also available to collectors is a souvenir card featuring a Series 1897 $5 silver certificate, which was never issued. The intaglio print (item 431) is $22.50 by mail; the souvenir card (item 978) is $5.50 or $5.75 postal-canceled (item 979), from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Public Sales Program, Room 602-11A, 14th and C streets S.W., Washington, D.C. 20228.