1829 3 Pale Gules Half Dime MS LM-3 Values

Details

3 pale gules: the heraldic shield held by the eagle is the Union Shield with its red, white, and blue colors and 13 vertical bars (called pales) for the 13 original states. The horizontal lines at top are blue, and the 13 pales are red and white. The colors are represented on coins by heraldic hatching, or thin lines - horizontal stripes for blue, vertical for red, and no stripes for white. The first three reverse dies in 1829 had three thin stripes for red ("3 pale gules") but this was amended to two stripes ("2 pale gules") for the remainder of the series.

From "Federal Half Dimes 1792-1837" by Logan and McCloskey: "All 1829 half dimes were struck from dies using the same basic design except that there are two distinct variations for the reverse. Chief Engraver William Kneass wanted as much detail as possible on the reverse, so he initially engraved three pale gules in the shield. Unfortunately, these delicate gules merged into a single broad stripe on the struck coins, forcing Kneass to use two pale gules. Only the first three working dies that were used to strike (1829) die marriages LM-1, LM-2, and LM-3 have three pale gules.”

This coin is made of 89% silver; 11% copper and has a current melt value of $2.97

Obverse: Liberty is portrayed, facing left, with cap on her head and the word LIBERTY on her crown. 7 and 6 stars on the left and right periphery, respectively with the date positioned in the bottom center.

Reverse: An eagle is centered in the design with a shield over its chest, holding arrows and olive branches in its talons. A ribbon above bears the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the periphery. The denomination listed as "5C." appears at the bottom.

Source: Sean Kelly