1806 Pointed 6, Stem

The Pointed 6 with Stem is the workhorse of the 1806 half dollar year and the variety a type collector is most likely to encounter without hunting. 1806 was the production peak for the Draped Bust half, with the Philadelphia Mint delivering 839,576 pieces across the year using a long list of Overton-catalogued die marriages. Within that output, the Pointed 6 logotype (a date punch where the top of the 6 ends in a sharp point rather than a rounded knob) paired with a Heraldic Eagle reverse that retains its terminal stem at the bottom of the wreath accounts for the largest share of surviving coins. The Mint was operating its full silver coinage program that year, so adjustment marks on the planchets and uneven strike pressure on individual dies are routine, not warning signs.

Strike quality varies marriage by marriage. Late-state dies on this variety often show clashing on the obverse fields and weakness through the eagle's right wing on the reverse; early-state strikes deliver the bold shield lines and crisp drapery lines collectors prefer. Edge lettering reading FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR must be present, original, and unaltered, since reworked edges on cleaned coins are a recurring red flag on this series. Weight should hold to 13.48 grams within tolerance, and adjustment file marks running across the bust or fields are part of original Mint production rather than damage. The variety is heavily counterfeited at the lower-grade end, so PCGS or NGC encapsulation pays for itself even on otherwise modest examples.

For collectors, the Pointed 6, Stem is the entry point into the 1806 year and into late Draped Bust halves more broadly, with VG through Fine examples regularly trading at the lowest premium of any 1806 variant. Mint State coins are scarce but not condition-rare in the way the 1801 and 1802 issues are, and original-skin AU examples have appreciated steadily over the last decade as cleaned-and-retoned product has been priced out of serious type sets. Specialists chase specific Overton numbers within the variety, but a single attractive example covers the type-set slot perfectly well. 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.