Coin specifications and design
Design identification
Obverse: Liberty bust portrait.
Reverse: A small eagle on 1796–1797 issues or a heraldic eagle on 1801–1807 issues.
U.S. Mint coin reference
1796–1797: Draped Bust Half Dollar (Small Eagle Reverse Type)
Draped Bust half dollars are classic early U.S. silver coins with small and heraldic eagle reverse types.
1796–1797 Draped Bust Half Dollar history notes
The Small Eagle Draped Bust half dollar was issued only with 1796 and 1797 dates, with a combined reported mintage of 3,918 pieces. The 1796 obverse occurs with 15-star and 16-star arrangements; 1797 uses 15 stars.
Robert Scot and John Eckstein are associated with the design and modeling. The edge states FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR, while the reverse uses a small naturalistic eagle rather than the Heraldic Eagle introduced when half-dollar production resumed in 1801.