Ron Guth:
In 1872, the Philadelphia mint cranked out more half dollars than in any year since the beginning of the Civil War. As a result, collectors are able to obtain examples of this date with relative ease. Circulated examples are plentiful but Mint State examples are actually scarce. PCGS recognizes several MS63 and MS64 examples, but very few in MS65 and better. The total number of PCGS-certified Mint State examples is less than two dozen, which makes this date a great value compared to the much more common dates such as 1875 and 1876.