The Bearded Lady is not always at the Circus.

The Capped Bust half dollar was introduced in 1807.  The new design by John Reich was replacing the old Draped Bust design by Robert Scot. 

The steel used to make the dies in this era was very fickle.  It was difficult to produce bar stock with even hardness.  This resulted in dies that were sometimes too soft and other times too brittle.  The soft dies wore unevenly producing areas that appear weakly struck.  The brittle ones cracked causing some of the interesting abnormalities that we like to collect today.

This is one of my favorites.  In the 1960’s it was referred to as “Miss Liberty with a Van Dyke Beard”, today it is known as “The Bearded Goddess”.  It is one of the most sought after die cracks in the entire Capped Bust series. 

The Bearded Goddess die state commands a significant premium in the marketplace.  So, check your coins carefully to see if there are any significant die cracks present.  They may be selling for a premium to their perfect die state sisters.

Do you have a special looking coin in your collection?  It may be worth a premium.  The experts at Coins Plus will be happy to assist you in either selling your coin, or, finding one for your collection.  You can visit their website at coinspluscincy.com