Coin Highlights
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Issuer: United States of America
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Date: 1858
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Mint: New Orleans (O)
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Denomination: Fifty Cents (Half Dollar)
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Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper
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Weight: 12.44 g
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Diameter: 30.6 mm
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Grade: NGC AU – Shipwreck Effect
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Obverse Design: Liberty seated on a rock, holding a Liberty pole with cap; shield at side. Designed by Christian Gobrecht.
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Reverse Design: Heraldic eagle with shield, arrows, and olive branch, with HALF DOL. below.
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Edge: Reeded
Historical Significance
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Struck at the New Orleans Mint, the 1858-O Seated Half Dollar is a representative of Southern coinage in the antebellum period.
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The “Shipwreck Effect” pedigree reflects recovery from a sunken ship, giving the coin distinct patina and preservation traits shaped by its long exposure to ocean conditions.
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These pieces not only serve as U.S. coinage history but also as maritime relics, connecting collectors to stories of commerce, travel, and loss at sea.
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The SS Republic was a sidewheel steamship that sank in 1865 off the coast of Georgia during a hurricane while en route from New York to New Orleans.
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The ship carried passengers and a large cargo of gold and silver coins intended to aid post–Civil War reconstruction in the South.
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The wreck was discovered in 2003, and thousands of coins were recovered, many of which were preserved with the distinctive “Shipwreck Effect” surfaces caused by long exposure to seawater.
