Half cent (United States coin)
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| Half Cent (United States) | |
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| Value: | 0.005 U.S. dollar |
| Mass: | 6.739 g (1793-1795)
5.443 g (1795-1857) |
| Diameter: | 23.5 mm |
| Thickness: | ??? mm |
| Edge: | lettered (1793,1797)
plain (1794-1857) reeded (1797) |
| Composition: | 100% Cu |
The half cent coin was produced in the United States from 1793-1857. The half-cent piece was made of 100% copper. It was slightly smaller than a modern U.S. quarter, with a diameter of 23.5 mm (0.93 inch). Although it is the lowest face value coin ever produced by the United States, given nineteenth century price levels, it was approximately equal to a dime today, in terms of purchasing power.
There are several different types of half cents
- Liberty Cap, Left (designed/engraved by Adam Eckfeldt) - issued 1793
- Liberty Cap, Right (large head designed by Robert Scot, small head designed by Scot-John Gardner, engraved by Robert Scot) - issued 1794 to 1797
- Draped Bust (obverse designed by Gilbert Stuart and Robert Scot, reverse designed by Scot-John Gardner, engraved by Robert Scot) - issued 1800 to 1808
- Classic Head (designed/engraved by John Reich) - issued 1809 to 1835
- Coronet (obverse designed by Robert Scot and Christian Gobrecht, reverse designed by John Reich and Christian Gobrecht, engraved by Christian Gobrecht) - issued 1849 to 1857
There are no mint marks on any of the coins (all minted at the Philadelphia Mint) and the edges are plain on most half cents. On the 1793 coin and a variety of the 1797 coin it was lettered TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR and another 1797 variety had a reeded, or milled, edge.
Mintage figures are the following:
Liberty Cap, Left
- 1793 - 35,334
Liberty Cap, Right
- 1794 - 81,600
- 1795 - 139,690
- 1796 - 1,390
- 1797 - 127,840
Draped Bust
- 1800 - 202,908
- 1802 - 20,266
- 1803 - 92,000
- 1804 - 1,055,312
- 1805 - 814,464
- 1806 - 356,000
- 1807 - 476,000
- 1808 - 400,000
Classic Head
- 1809 - 1,154,572
- 1810 - 215,000
- 1811 - 63,140
- 1825 - 63,000
- 1826 - 234,000
- 1828 - 606,000
- 1829 - 487,000
- 1831 - 2,200
- 1832 - 51,000
- 1833 - 103,000
- 1834 - 141,000
- 1835 - 398,000
- 1836 - proof only, restrikes were made
- 1837 - No half cents were struck by the United States government, however due to the need for small change half cent tokens were produced by private businessmen.
Coronet
- 1840 through 1849 were proof only issues. There were restrikes made.
- 1849 - 39,864
- 1850 - 39,812
- 1851 - 147,672
- 1852 - proof only. Restrikes were made.
- 1853 - 129,694
- 1854 - 55,358
- 1855 - 56,500
- 1856 - 40,430
- 1857 - 35,180
[edit] References
The Half Cent Die State Book 1793-1857 by Ronald P. Manley, Ph.D., 1998.
American Half Cents - The "Little Half Sisters" (Second Edition) by Roger S. Cohen, Jr., 1982.
Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of United States Half Cents 1793-1857 by Walter Breen, 1983.
[edit] External links
- Half Cent information by year and type. Histories, photos, mintages, mints, metal contents, edge designs, designers, and more.
- Half Cent Pictures
- US Proof - Information For The Coin Collector
- This half cent ( numismatics.org:1858.1.1 ) was the first coin donated to the American Numismatic Society
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