1806 Knob 6, Small Stars

The Knob 6, Small Stars combination uses a Knob 6 date logotype (the 6 finishes in a rounded knob rather than a sharp point) paired with an obverse die whose seven left and six right stars were punched from a smaller star device than the dies used on most 1806 halves. Within the 839,576 production figure for 1806, this combination appears on a limited list of Overton-catalogued die marriages and trades as a distinct attributed variety on PCGS and NGC holders. The diagnostic feature lives entirely on the obverse: the stars sit visibly smaller, with tighter, more compact points, and the surrounding field is correspondingly more open compared to the Large Stars obverses used elsewhere in the year.

Authentication relies on direct visual comparison rather than measurement alone. Place a Small Stars example next to any Pointed 6, Stem coin and the star size differential is obvious at first glance; the Small Stars points stop short of where the standard star points reach toward the bust drapery and the date. The Knob 6 itself reads as a soft round terminal at the top of the digit rather than a sharp serif. Otherwise the standard 1806 authentication checkpoints apply: edge lettering FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR must be intact and original, weight should hold near 13.48 grams, and adjustment file marks across the planchet are normal for the period. Cleaned and retoned coins are common on this series, so original surfaces command a substantial premium.

The collecting picture for Small Stars is narrower than for the Pointed 6, Stem and slightly less narrow than for the inverted-6 die error. Generalist type buyers default to the more common 1806 varieties for their slot; Small Stars demand comes principally from Overton-set collectors and from die-marriage cherry-pickers working raw inventory at regional shows and online auctions. Population reports at PCGS and NGC run modest across all grades, and original-skin AU coins are scarce enough that they almost always come from old-cabinet provenances rather than fresh-to-market consignments. Premiums over the Pointed 6, Stem run modest in low circulated grades and widen sharply in problem-free XF and above. For the broader story of Robert Scot's design, the 1807 Capped Bust transition, and the series' production arc, see the Draped Bust Half Dollar series history.