1797 Half Dollar
Photos: Numismatic Guaranty Company
Counterfeit Detection

1797 Half Dollar

Published June 1, 2026 | Read time 2 min read

By Numismatic Guaranty Company

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Established in 1792, the U.S. Mint quickly introduced many denominations that became mainstays of America’s coinage, including the half dollar. Examples of the first four years of half dollars (the Flowing Hair in 1794-95 and the Draped Bust in 1796-97) are rare and in high demand, pushing prices into five figures or more.

The 1797 half dollar has two basic varieties: O-101 (in which the second T in STATES has a leaf pointing toward its bottom) and O-102 (in which the leaf sweeps under the entire base of the second T). Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) recently received a purported example of an O-101.

Genuine 1797 half dollar.
Counterfeit 1797 half dollar. (Photos: Numismatic Guaranty Company)

Raising immediate suspicion is the color of the coin, a result of it not being struck in the expected alloy of primarily silver. A closer look at the details on the reverse removes all doubt that this is, in fact, a counterfeit.

Notice that most of the laurel berries on the fake are not connected to the branch, which is unexpected. Plus, many of the strokes of the characters are much too thick when compared with a genuine example. This is evident in the word UNITED with the vertical lines of the N, as well as the serif on the middle bar of the E.

Additionally, the characters’ surfaces are rounded rather than having flat tops as seen on the genuine coins. Lastly, the ½ symbol representing the denomination is far too plump, with the numbers merging with the division bar.

The letters in the legend are too thick and round on the fake coin (right), and the berries are floating in space when they should be connected to the laurel branch.

Finally, the design of the eagle is preposterous. The tailfeathers visible between the eagle’s legs are supposed to be embellished with vertical lines, but these lines are rendered as nearly horizontal on the counterfeit. Most surviving examples of the 1797 half dollar are well-worn in this area, so the counterfeiter was likely forced to use some creative license to fill in the details.

When this coin was sent to NGC, the submitter declared a modest value, so they probably suspected it wasn’t a historic rarity but still wanted certainty. Remember, NGC backs its determinations of authenticity and grade with the NGC Guarantee.

A version of this article appears in the July 2026 issue of The Numismatist (money.org).