Unlettered edge. This is a beautiful example with very light heather and gray toning, slightly deeper at the edges. Virtually full lustre is present with only trivial surface marks. This is an extremely important opportunity for the advanced collector or error collector. Capped Bust half dollars with unlettered edge, such as this, are extremely rare. The Logan Collection contains just three similar examples. The texture of the edges is virtually identical on all three, suggesting that they are all, in fact, genuine unlettered edge coins and not coins where the lettering has been removed at a later date. Reviewing Stephen Herrman's list of auction appearance for Bust halves, just one example with unlettered edge appears. That example was an 1819 O-109a in F-15 grade that realized $605 in 1996.

When Stack's sold coins from the R.E. Cox, Jr. Collection, in April 1962, they described this coin as "1819 Unlisted. Uncirculated, nicely struck, mint lustre." Surprisingly, there was no mention of the unlettered edge.

Obverse and reverse die cracks are as described by Overton for O-107a.

In the 1967 first edition of his reference, Al C. Overton catalogued this coin (or possibly one very similar to this) as his number 18. "Edge is entirely free of lettering and apparently never passed through the edge lettering device. The size supports this belief, as this coin is slightly larger in diameter than preceding four numbers. Extremely rare." The "preceding four numbers" were all die states or other variations of this same die combination.

This example weighs 13.42 grams. Diameter: 32.6 mm.

Purchased April 14, 1992 from Stewart Witham. Earlier from Stack's sale of the R.E. Cox, Jr. Collection, April 1962, Lot 1804.