1811 11 over 10

The 1811 11/10 Capped Bust Half Dollar is one of the earliest and most collectible overdate varieties in John Reich's lettered edge series, created when a working die originally punched for 1810 was repurposed by overpunching the second digit with an 11. Under a loupe, traces of the underlying zero remain visible beneath the rightmost numeral in the date, producing a distinctive doubled or blended appearance that early Capped Bust specialists hunt with particular focus. Reich, a German-born engraver who emigrated to escape Napoleonic upheaval, had introduced his fuller-bodied Liberty bust in 1807, and the Philadelphia Mint's frugal habit of reusing serviceable dies into the following year produced exactly the kind of cost-saving anomaly that this variety records.

Capped Bust Halves of this period were struck on planchets composed of 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper, weighing 13.48 grams with a 32.5 mm diameter and bearing the lettered edge inscription FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR applied by the Castaing machine before striking. The 11/10 overdate is cataloged as Overton O-101 in Al C. Overton's standard reference, the only die marriage carrying this overdate, and authentication hinges on locating the curve of the underlying zero inside the loop of the final one. Strikes on these early hand-engraved dies tend to be soft at Liberty's curls above the ear and at the eagle's claws, and weakness at those points should never be mistaken for wear when grading. Examiners should also confirm the lettered edge for proper character spacing, as cast counterfeits often render the edge inscription mushy or incomplete.

Demand for the variety comes mainly from Capped Bust die-variety collectors building Overton sets, and certified populations at Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) remain comparatively thin in mid-grade circulated condition. Mint State pieces are genuinely scarce and bring meaningful premiums when offered through Heritage Auctions or Stack's Bowers. For deeper background on John Reich's design evolution and the lettered edge production era, see our Capped Bust Half Dollar series history.