1897-O 50C Barber Half Dollar PCGS MS64 (CAC)

Attractive and rare Mint State example of tough date Barber half!

In mint state, specimens of the 1897-O are scarce, with gem state pieces being quite rare. This example displays typical weakness in the strike of the New Orleans Mint that includes the feathers and hair on the obverse, and the eagle's head, wings, and legs on the reverse. However, this is not a common coin and demand is great even for attractive circulated pieces. PCGS has graded 17 as MS64 with 18 finer. In CAC, there are 4 in MS64 with 6 finer.

Charles E. Barber, the artist-engraver who crafted the dramatic neo-classical design on the coins that are named for him.

The following author's excitement over Barber's design is infectious.  Numismatic art critic Cornelius Vermeule writes that, "Liberty's cap, incised diadem, and wreath of laurel were designed to echo all the depth and volume of her Olympian countenance. The classical substances are offset, almost literally, by the sharply rectangular dentils of the raised rim and the strength of 13 six-pointed stars. On the [reverse] ... an equal constellation of stars ... is clustered above the eagle's shaggy, craggy profile. On both sides the simple dignity of motto, legend, and denomination binds the pictorialism into a cohesive tondo. The wealth of irregular surfaces and sharp angles is an almost electrifying aesthetic experience. ... specimens [are] a pleasure to contemplate. The sculptor was unsurpassed in the mechanics of creating a durable design of monumental validity."