***Auction Highlight*** 1861-o W-2 USA Issue TOP POP! Seated Half Dollar 50c Graded Choice Unc PL BY USCG. The New Orleans Mint struck 2,532,633 half dollars in 1861, the first year of the Civil War and one that saw significant changes in governing authority for the Crescent City coinage facility. The first 330,000 examples were produced while the mint remained under federal control. The following 1,240,000 pieces were struck after Louisiana seceded from the Union, and the final 962,633 coins were delivered under the authority of the newly established Confederate States of America. Writing in the 2013 reference A Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties, Volume IV, Bill Bugert breaks down the 14 known die pairings of this issue by the governing authority under which they were used A Key Date's Pick, Bid to Win Coin