Expert: PAPAJACK - 4/21/2008

Question
Recently I received a old 1858 S Half Dollar Silver coin. I found that on top of the eagle beak has extending spike to its left. Is it a misprinted coin? Please advise. Many thanks,

Answer
Hello Casey,                                    

There were no listed die errors for this defect. So the die was not created with this spike in it.

It could have had a clash against the bottom die or pieces of debris deform it.
It is more likely a crack or chip that happened as the die wore out leaving a raised feature on the coin.  
This defect would not add any premium or take away any value to the coin.

This is a common way for worn or over hardened dies to break down and still happens to modern dies if over used or not hardened properly.  

I hope this information helps

Good Luck

PapaJack