1908-S 50C VF20 Certification #30413972, PCGS #6515

Ron Guth

Among later-date Barber Half Dollars, the 1908-S is a real standout.  According to the PCGS Population Report, it has the lowest overall population of any date since 1905.  The same is true of the Mint State populations, which are all very low relative to the surrounding dates.  Gems are rare but, fortunately, there is a handful of examples at the MS65 and MS66 levels.  MS67 examples are exceedingly rare.  As illustrated above, most of the top-quality examples are toned to some degree, usually in impressive arrays of different colors, and their eye appeal is overwhelmingly positive.

The strike quality on 1908-S Half Dollars is usually good with these occasional exceptions: 1) softness on the upper-right corner of the shield and the adjacent feathers and 2) roller-marks (actually draw marks) which were not crushed out completely when the coins were struck.  Unless obvious or distracting, either of these conditions should affect the value to only a small degree.

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David Akers

Even by Barber Half Dollar standards, this issue is very underrated. In Gem condition, it is very close in rarity to the 1907-S, which in recent years has been touted, and correctly so, as being a very rare issue. However, for some reason the 1908-S has usually been overlooked and has seldom, if ever, received mention as being an issue of any particular significance or rarity. Actually, it is very difficult to find in any mint state grade, even the lower ones, and Gems are very rare.