1800

No half dimes were struck in 1798 or 1799. Production resumed in 1800 with a new reverse design: the Heraldic Eagle, based on the Great Seal of the United States, replacing the small eagle within a wreath that had been used since 1794. The change brought the half dime into visual alignment with other silver denominations that had already adopted the Heraldic Eagle reverse. Robert Scot retained the Draped Bust obverse, now paired with a more elaborate reverse showing the eagle clutching arrows and an olive branch beneath a ribbon reading E PLURIBUS UNUM.

The 1800 mintage was 40,000 coins, modest by later standards but substantial for the early half dime series. The coin is classified as a semi-key and is noticeably scarcer than the Draped Bust half dimes that followed. Survivors are available in circulated grades, though finding one in problem-free condition requires careful searching. Most encountered examples show typical early-silver-coin wear: softened high points on Liberty's portrait and the eagle's breast, light adjustment marks on the planchet, and occasional scratches or rim damage from decades of handling.

The 1800 is the first year of the Heraldic Eagle reverse on the half dime and marks the transition point between the two sub-types within the Draped Bust series. Type collectors building a Draped Bust half dime set need at least one Small Eagle coin (1796-1797) and one Heraldic Eagle coin (1800-1805), and the 1800 is often the first Heraldic Eagle coin considered.