Coin specifications and design
Design identification
Obverse: Liberty bust portrait.
Reverse: Heraldic eagle with shield beneath an arc of stars.
U.S. Mint coin reference
1800–1805: Draped Bust Silver Half Dime (Heraldic Eagle Reverse Type)
Draped Bust half dimes are scarce early silver type coins.
Draped Bust Half Dime Heraldic Eagle history
Half-dime production resumed with the 1800 date and a new Heraldic Eagle reverse. Dated issues exist for 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, and 1805; there is no regular 1804 half dime.
The subtype keeps the Draped Bust obverse, 1.35-gram standard, and reeded edge of the earlier coins, but the shielded eagle and surrounding stars make the reverse immediately different from the 1796–1797 Small Eagle type.