OK, let's talk Bustie attribution.
First of all, we find that in 1828, Overton varieties have general groupings based on the date - curled 2's, square-based 2's, and two sizes of 8's. Your coin has the square-base 2 and small 8's, immediately eliminating everything up to O-109. That's a good start.
The very first thing I look at when attributing a Bust Half is the relationship between the T in STATES and the I in PLURIBUS. This is a standard pickup point which is listed for almost all Overton varieties. Your coin looks to me like it would be called "right sides of T and I in line." A slight variation of that description could be possible; it wouldn't floor me if the proper variety is called "I centered under T."
So now, starting with O-110, I go through each variety looking for that specific relationship before I even look at the obverse.
O-112 looks promising. The reverse was used on O-111, which describes T-I as "I centered under right of T." This doesn't seem to fit, but it's possible. So now we look at the obverse star locations, and they seem to be a very accurate match. The description of the date looks good, too - maybe this is the correct obverse, but not the reverse? Hmmm....
O-113. Same obverse, different reverse. One with the right sides of T-I in line. Spidey sense tingles. All stated attributes match, save the comment about "unfinished die work between olive leaves," but that's possibly masked by the color of your coin. Looks very, very good.
Except the obverse is described as maybe having the stars drawn towards the rim. Yours doesn't show that. Letdown, but not the end of the world.
OK. A quick run through the rest of the varieties seems to indicate that no other obverse is a match for star location. We're tentatively settled on O-113 (112 is possible); time for the final step.
I open the Heritage Auctions webpage. As a member there (which you should be also, as membership is free) I have access to their huge archive of high-resolution images from past auctions. I search for 1828 O-113 in the archive, and it returns 42 results(!). Lots of huge pics to compare your coin to.
The results are disappointing in one sense. Every example I look at seems to show the drawn stars. So I flip to O-112, and even though the T-I relationship is possible, I immediately notice one standout feature that disqualifies this variety: the last three letters of STATES. TE seems to be rotated counterclockwise a bit, making the S seem low. Your coin is definitely not this reverse.
Back to O-113. I check every single coin, and finally find one with the stars not drawn, from a sale back in 2006. OK, it's possible.
I load a huge image of a PCGS AU55 reverse, and compare yours minutely to it. Letter relationships, the shape and location of 50C. Something stands out: the two lines drawn from the second A in AMERICA to the rim.
Second confirmation: the first S in STATES seems rotated a bit funny compared to the adjacent T.
It's settled, as far as I'm concerned. Your coin is O-113, and a very early die state to boot. This is a fact which should be remembered and emphasized when/if it comes time to sell this coin - it's a feature that a Bustie collector would find of interest.
Posted 12/15/2012 9:54 pm
will sit on your shoulder and whisper in your ear "Buy more, buy more!"
