Numismatic

1822 Bust Half Dollar XF

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In 1822, the Philadelphia Mint produced this silver half dollar, a piece that showcases the early artistic direction of United States coinage. Struck with a silver purity of 0.8924, this fifty-cent coin contains 0.3868 troy ounces of precious metal. It represents a fascinating era of hand-crafted die preparation and manual coining processes, resulting in a total mintage of 1,559,573 pieces for the year. The obverse features a left-facing portrait of Lady Liberty wearing a capped drape, with her hair flowing down her shoulder. The word LIBERTY is inscribed upon her cap, surrounded by thirteen stars representing the original colonies, with the date 1822 positioned at the bottom of the design. On the reverse, an American eagle is depicted with a shield draped across its chest. In its talons, the eagle grasps an olive branch and a bundle of arrows, representing the dual concepts of peace and defense. The legendary motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is displayed on a scroll above the eagle, while the surrounding inscription reads UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the denomination is indicated at the very bottom.