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In 1861 four coins were struck at the New Orleans mint by the Confederate States of America. On the obverse there is a shield with seven stars representing the confederate states. Above the shield is a liberty cap and “Confederate State of America”. Below the shield is “Half Dol.” Unique to Louisiana and the south on either side of the shield is stalks of sugar cane and cotton.
On the obverse of the coin a representation of the Goddess of Liberty, surrounded by thirteen stars, denoting the thirteen States from whence the Confederacy sprung, and on the lower rim the figures, 1861.
Scott Restrike Confederate Half Dollar!
There are very few American coins today that can be said to rank in interest with this half dollar, with its authoritative United States obverse and distinctive Confederate States reverse design.
The story of the Confederate Half Dollar began with a newspaper article written by E. Mason of Philadelphia about coin collecting. A few days later Mason received news from B.F. Taylor, MD then secretary and treasurer of the Louisiana State Board of Health that he had one 1861 Confederate half dollar and the original die. This coin and die was obtained by Mason and he later sold the coin and Confederate reverse die to J.W. Scott and Co. of New York. Scott then obtained 500 1861 United States half dollars bearing the New Orleans mint letter on its reverse. He then had the reverse design removed from each coin and they were restamped with the reverse die of the confederate half dollar.
One interesting note is that Scott was concerned that the soft Confederate Half Dollar die would brake. Before striking the above coin, he made some white metal tokens with a new obverse die as seen below.
Scott Restrike Confederate Token!
Estimated valued of one of the original 1861 Confederate half dollars is near one million dollars. One of the 500 Scott restrikes in uncirculated condition is valued at almost $10,000.00. Tokens go for $2,000 to $5,000.
So just what happened to the Confederate Half Dollar die? Scott after striking the silver restrikes and tokens defaced the die by filing a deep groove across the face and a brass piece was struck from the defaced die.
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