1836 is a key year in numismatics. The US Mint converted from regular screw presses to steam presses to strike coins. This allowed much greater pressure and consistency. Better detail and strike was achieved with these new presses. There were only 1200 reeded edge 1836 half dollars minted. This is a rare coin. The plain edge is common, the reeded edge is not. This coin is very PQ. If you saw this in a MS63 holder, no one would question.