1817/3 Capped Bust Half Dollar O-101

the TPG's do as well. look at the star definition, date, denticles and clasp on the obverse. these are the most recessed devices on the die. on the reverse the lettering and shield are. these are the areas that are going to show the wear first. the other areas, being raised on the die, are going to be strike related as it takes more pressure to bring out more details

I've spent several years looking at these and looking at slabbed grades to see how they interpret it. they are all over the place depending on who is looking at it.

looking at yours, I had the wear on those high points in the VF35 range. the strike, like the entire profile being flat I would deduct for from 5 to 10 points. in this case I dropped my grade 5 points to VF30.

is this the approach you should take? I don't know but this is how I approach them