1892 50C MS65 Certification #35711929, PCGS #6461

TYPE CAC

Ron Guth

A new design appeared on Half Dollars beginning in 1892 and it was an immediate hit with collectors.  Today, Population Report data confirms David Akers' old and long-held belief that the 1892 Half Dollar was the most common date of the series.  No other date has a larger population -- some are close, but none can equal or exceed it.

For today's collectors, this means there are numerous opportunities to acquire a high-grade example of this first-year-of-issue date.  PCGS has certified literally hundreds of Mint State examples, mostly in MS63 and MS64.  Moving up and through the Gem and Superb categories, we come to a single PCGS MS68 example, one of the finest Barber Half Dollars of any date.  This colorful example has appeared at auction three times since 2005 and it set price records every time it appeared.  For approximately half the price, collectors can opt for one of the lovely PCGS MS67+'s.  

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David Akers

Despite its relatively low mintage of just 935,245 pieces, including Proofs, the 1892 Barber Half Dollar is by far the most common of the 74 issues in this series. Obviously, many were saved as souvenirs of the first year of issue of the design.