FLOAT

1838-O Capped Bust Half Dollar

Maker
U.S. Mint (New Orleans)
Year
1838
Rank
29 of 100

1838-O Capped Bust Half Dollar

1838-O Capped Bust Half Dollar by U.S. Mint (New Orleans) (1838) is ranked 29 in the FLOAT 100 for Coins. It sold for $70,500 on 14 January 2013. The first coin struck at the New Orleans Mint; a proof-only branch-mint rarity with ~12 survivors.

What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?

The first coin struck at the New Orleans Mint; a proof-only branch-mint rarity with ~12 survivors.

50c silver, Capped Bust, Reeded Edge, O mintmark, branch-mint proof, PCGS PR64

What is the best-sourced number for it?

Figure
$70,500
Kind
Realized at auction
Date
14 January 2013

Heritage Auctions, FUN, Jan 14 2013. Branch-mint proof 1838-O, PCGS PR64BM, realized $70,500. Ranked with the 1894-S dime and 1870-S dollar as a great American rarity.

This is a realized sale. Somebody paid it. Source.

How this is made

The figure
One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
Realized or not
A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
Why no grade ladder
Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
Archive
2026-08-08