The SilverTowne Vault Blog

100 Greatest U.S Coins Series: 1817, 7 Over 4, Capped Bust Half Dollar

Published 04/10/2025

One of the rarest of United States coinage lies in the middle of the pack in our next blog entry following along with Whitman Publishing’s fourth edition of the 100 Greatest United States Coins. Author Jeff Garrett goes into detail about the half dollar denomination, showcasing the United States Mint’s day-to-day operations at the beginning and how those operations sometimes led them to creating the most highly sought after coins today.

#47 – 1817, 7 Over 4, Capped Bust Half Dollar

Deemed the “King of the Capped Bust half dollars,” the 1817, 7 Over 4 half dollar is one of the rarest of all United States coinage with just a total of 12 coins certified between NGC and PCGS. According to Garrett, the minting of the coin unveiled how conservative the United States Mint was economically in its early days of operation as old dies were reused simply by changing the last digit of the ...read more