1797 15 Stars

The 1797 15 Stars half dime carries fifteen stars around the obverse, one for each state that had joined the Union by the time the dies were prepared. Vermont had joined in 1791 and Kentucky in 1792, bringing the count from thirteen to fifteen. The engravers at the Philadelphia Mint added stars to the obverse of 1795 and 1796 coins to reflect the growing country, and 1797 continued with fifteen on some dies. The practice of adding stars for each new state was abandoned shortly afterward, when Tennessee's admission in 1796 would have pushed the count to sixteen and beyond as more states joined.

The 15 Stars variety was the earlier design for 1797 half dimes. Partway through the year, Mint Director Elias Boudinot decided to standardize at thirteen stars (for the original colonies) regardless of how many states had joined the Union. The decision came after some 16 Stars dies had already been produced for 1797, creating three distinct star-count varieties for the single year: 15 Stars, 16 Stars, and 13 Stars. All three are collected separately, and the 15 Stars is generally the most common of the three.

Surviving 1797 15 Stars half dimes are available in circulated grades without extraordinary difficulty. The coin is part of a variety-rich year and carries moderate collector premium as a semi-key issue within an already scarce series. Well-struck examples with clear star detail are preferred; worn coins where the star count is difficult to verify trade at discounts to properly attributed specimens.