1833 Capped Bust Half Dollar — PCGS MS-62 | Mint State | John Reich Design | Early American Silver

1833 Capped Bust Half Dollar — PCGS Certified MS-62 | Mint State | John Reich Design | Early American Silver

A magnificent mint state example of the 1833 Capped Bust Half Dollar, independently certified by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and graded MS-62. This coin is nearly 200 years old and retains full original mint lustre with attractive original toning across both obverse and reverse. The Capped Bust design is sharply struck, with Liberty’s portrait, cap, curls, and surrounding stars all well-defined. The reverse heraldic eagle is bold and detailed. Finding a Capped Bust Half Dollar in any mint state grade is exceptional — the vast majority of surviving examples have seen decades or centuries of circulation — and this PCGS MS-62 represents a genuinely rare early American silver coin in outstanding preservation.

Certification Details

• Country: United States
• Year: 1833
• Denomination: 50 Cents (Half Dollar)
• Grade: MS-62 (Mint State)
• Certification No.: 6163.62/47499516
• Certifying Body: PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service)

Coin Specifications

• Composition: 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper
• Diameter: 32.5 mm
• Weight: 13.48 g (0.3869 oz ASW)
• Edge: Lettered (FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR)
• Designer: John Reich (obverse and reverse)
• Mint: Philadelphia Mint (no mintmark)

Design: The Capped Bust by John Reich

The Capped Bust design was created by Assistant Engraver John Reich and introduced on the half dollar in 1807. The obverse features a left-facing bust of Liberty wearing a cloth cap inscribed LIBERTY, with flowing curls and surrounded by thirteen six-pointed stars and the date at the bottom. The reverse depicts a heraldic eagle with spread wings, a shield on its breast, holding an olive branch and bundle of arrows, with a scroll inscribed E PLURIBUS UNUM in its beak and the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and 50 CENTS surrounding. A distinctive feature of this series is the lettered edge — each coin was individually edge-lettered with FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR before striking, a labour-intensive process unique to early American coinage.

The Capped Bust Half Dollar was the workhorse coin of early American commerce, serving as the largest and most practical silver denomination in everyday use from 1807 through 1839. The design was modified in 1836 to a reeded edge and reduced diameter, making the pre-1836 lettered edge coins a distinct and collectible type.

Historical Significance

Struck in 1833 at the Philadelphia Mint, this coin was produced just 44 years after the establishment of the United States Mint and circulated in an America of stagecoaches, canal boats, and frontier expansion. President Andrew Jackson was in his first term. The Erie Canal had just opened. This coin was struck in the early years of the American republic, when silver half dollars were the primary medium of large commercial transactions. Holding this piece is holding a tangible artifact of early American history.

Silver Content

Each 1833 Capped Bust Half Dollar contains approximately 0.3869 troy ounces of pure silver, giving it both significant numismatic collector value as a near-200-year-old mint state rarity and meaningful intrinsic precious metal content.

Why This Coin Belongs in Your Collection

Mint state examples of the Capped Bust Half Dollar are genuinely scarce — these coins were struck for commerce, circulated heavily, and were often melted for bullion value during periods of monetary upheaval. A PCGS MS-62 example with original lustre and attractive toning, struck in Philadelphia in 1833, is a rare survivor from the early American republic. Whether you collect early American silver by type, assemble date sets of the Capped Bust series, or simply seek the most historically significant and visually compelling coins available, this PCGS MS-62 is an outstanding and hard-to-duplicate acquisition.

Encapsulated in an original PCGS sealed holder. Tampering with the holder invalidates the certification opinion. Have holder replaced if inner package/seal is not intact.

The PCGS-certified coin shown is the exact coin you will receive. Guaranteed authentic.