Stack's Bowers conducted the auctions associated with the recent Baltimore show, including internet-only sessions after the show. I won three lots (six coins) from one of those internet-only sessions. One lot was a decent circulated 1844-O placeholder for my collection of half dimes. A second lot consisted of four half dimes, the first of which was the one I wanted - an AU 1842 with reverse die cracks. I will probably write something about those two lots in future journals.

The topic for now is the third lot I won. It is an 1848 "medium date" half dime. What caught my eye is that the date is noticeably farther to the right than on other 1848 half dimes. I looked for info, but neither Valentine (1931) nor Blythe (1992) mention it. The newer book by Bowers (2016) says only a few examples are known. The variety is discussed in a couple short Gobrecht Journal articles from 1993, where discovery credit is given to Neil (1927).

I was not specifically aware of the "date far right" variety of 1848 half dimes when I first saw the photo of my new coin. But I have been looking carefully at Liberty Seated half dimes for some time now. And when something catches my attention, I check it out. In this case, I noticed what appears still to be a rare variety.

The auction session occurred when I was on vacation several time zones west. Before the trip, I wasn't sure I'd be able to bid live, so I entered an absentee bid. Because the coin is a rare variety in a series that is not (yet) especially popular, I had no idea what to expect to have to pay to get it. The coin is in a PCGS AU53 holder. I bid about four times the FMV for a garden variety 1848 half dime. While on vacation, I received email notification that I had won it - for garden variety price! Apparently no one else noticed or cared that it was an unusual variety.

So this is another case of finding something interesting and rare for regular price. More such things are certainly out there. If you learn about the things you collect and have the time to look, you can find things like this too. It has been a lot of fun for me...

Alan