Tuesday Treasure Trove - 1857 U.S. Half Dime

Today's coin is the 1857 U.S. Half Dime.  This coin was picked up in Chicago and purchased for $35.00.  I'm thinking that I paid a little bit more than I should've, but in all, its probably worth about $35-40 in the condition that it's in.  I was on vacation, so having a keepsake from Chicago was worth it. This is one of 7 half dimes in my collection, but this one is the newest!

The half dime (5 cents) was the second smallest silver coin ever produced by the United States Government for general circulation, second only to the silver 3 cent piece (Thrime).  During the time when the half dime thrived, 5 cents had the buying power of about $2.50 in 2012 terms.  So if you actually think about it, it probably made sense to use silver for the half dime at that time.  The last of the silver half dimes were produced in 1873 while the first nickel 5 cent piece was made in 1866.  What's odd is that, while the U.S. stopped producing the silver half dime in 1873, Canada actually kept producing a silver 5 cent piece until 1921.  Here are the stats for this coin:

United States of America - Half Dime (5 Cents)

Date: 1857

Mint: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Grade: VF - XF
KM#:A62.2
Weight: 1.24g
Content: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Catalog Value: $27.00 - 52.50
Honest Appraisal: $30-40 (Liberty on the shield is still visible with some other finer details also visible)