FrostbyteCoins
Half Dime · $0.05
1870 Pattern & Experimental Coins
Key Features
- Judd-809, struck in silver; rarity R-7 - Designer: William Barber - Reverse: 5 CENTS in an open wreath, STANDARD above - Also struck in copper (Judd-811, 812) and aluminum (Judd-813, 814) - Value guide: about $2,000 to $8,400 (Greysheet CPG)
Intriguing History
The silver half dime wasn't finished yet. In 1870 Chief Engraver William Barber made a "Standard Silver" half dime, with a seated Liberty on the front and STANDARD above a wreath on the back. It is Judd-809, rated R-7. The Mint also struck it in copper and aluminum, Judd-811 to Judd-814. But time was up: the Coinage Act of 1873 ended the half dime, and the nickel became America's only five-cent coin.