The SilverTowne Vault Blog

100 Greatest U.S. Coins Series: 1838-O Capped Bust Half Dollar

Published 07/16/2026

The records kept (or NOT kept) of this next coin in our blog series is what makes it interesting. Following along with Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest United States Coins Series, we have a top 30 pick that author Jeff Garrett deems as a “classic U.S. numismatic rarity” in this fourth edition. Despite their proof of existence, there is still a slight mystery surrounding them.

#27 – 1838-O Capped Bust Half Dollar

Despite there being 20 examples of the 1838-O half dollar, it was never recorded in the annual report of the Director of the Mint. There is not a confirmed reason, but the situation surrounding the mintage of the coins seems to give us a possible explanation, according to Garrett.

Before 1838, three new branch mints were opened to keep up with demand as they discovered gold in Georgia and North Carolina. Dahlongea and Charlotte were opened in addition to New Orleans. Each minted started producing coins in...read more