1797 50C Draped Bust, Small Eagle, O-101a, T-1, High R.4, Fine 15 PCGS. Amato-425. Tompkins Die State 2/3. A radial die crack through the first T in STATES determines the O-101a designation, although this is actually a middle die state with several later die stages as the numerous die cracks become bolder, branch out, and new cracks form. This two-year design type comes from a minuscule mintage of 3,918 pieces, making it the rarest two-year regular silver type, eagerly pursued by type collectors and early half dollar specialists alike. The 1796 and 1797 Draped Bust, Small Eagle half dollars are listed among the 100 Greatest United States Coins.

 A May 1979 Stack's auction is the earliest appearance we can trace for this example. There, the Stack's cataloger noted that the 1797 half dollars represent the first silver type where the denomination appears twice -- on the reverse and on the edge. This sharply defined example displays a faint blush of lilac and gold toning over pleasing, minimally marked silver surfaces. When recording this coin on page 247 in his pictorial census (2012), Dr. Jon P. Amato identified only a few markers on the coin: A tiny mark at the juncture of the jaw and the neck provides confirmation of its pedigree. There are no adjustment marks visible or any sizeable contacts seen. In early auction appearances this coin was consistently described as having VF definition. It remains holdered in a Generation 3.0 green label PCGS holder. Ex: New York Numismatic Convention Auction (Stack's, 5/1949), lot 214; Dennis Heller Collection (New England Rare Coin Auctions, 1/1982), lot 618; Public Auction Sale (Stack's, 12/1985), lot 918.