The half cent was the smallest denomination of United States coin ever minted. It was first minted in 1793 and last minted in 1857. In that time, it had purchasing power equivalent to between ¢ and ¢ in values. It was minted with five different designs.

History

First authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792 on April 2, 1792, the coin was produced in the United States from 1793 to 1857. The half-cent piece was made of 100%

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

and half of a cent, or one two-hundredth of a dollar (five milles). It was slightly smaller than a modern U.S. quarter with diameters 22 mm (1793), 23.5 mm (1794–1836), and 23 mm (1840–1857). They were all produced at the Philadelphia Mint. The Coinage Act of February 21, 1857 discontinued the half-cent and the similar

large cent The United States large cent was a coin with a face value of of a United States dollar. Its nominal diameter was 1 inch (28.57 mm). The first official mintage of the large cent was in 1793, and its production continued until 1857, when it ...

, and authorized the small cent (

Flying Eagle cent The Flying Eagle cent is a one- cent piece struck by the Mint of the United States as a pattern coin in 1856 and for circulation in 1857 and 1858. The coin was designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre, with the eagle in flight based ...

Design varieties

There are several different types of half cents: * Liberty Cap, Facing left (designed and engraved by

Henry Voigt Henry Voigt or Henry Voight (1738–1814) was a clockmaker, mathematical instrument maker, machine and steam engine builder, and Chief Coiner of the first United States Mint. He operated a wire mill in Reading Pennsylvania and repaired clocks and ...

) – issued 1793 * Liberty Cap, Facing right (large head designed by

Robert Scot Robert Scot (October 2, 1745 – November 3, 1823) was a Scottish-American engraver who served as Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1793 until his death in 1823. He was succeeded by William Kneass. Scot designed the popular and ...

, small head designed by Scot-John Gardner, engraved by Robert Scot) – issued 1794 to 1797 * Draped Bust (obverse designed by

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter born in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-k ...

and Robert Scot, reverse designed by Scot-John Gardner, engraved by Robert Scot) – issued 1800 to 1808 * Classic Head (designed and engraved by Robert Scot or John Reich) – issued 1809 to 1836 * Braided Hair (designed by

Christian Gobrecht Christian Gobrecht (December 23, 1785 – July 23, 1844) was the third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1840 until his death in 1844. He was responsible for designing the famous " Seated Liberty" designs, which were in turn the di ...

) – issued 1840 to 1857 There are no mint marks on any of the coins (all minted at the

Philadelphia Mint The Philadelphia Mint is a branch of the United States Mint in Philadelphia. It was built in 1792 following the Coinage Act of 1792, in order to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States, and is the first and ...

) and the edges are plain on most half cents. On the 1793, 1794, and some 1795 coins and a variety of the 1797 coin, it was lettered and another 1797 variety had a gripped, or milled, edge.

Mintage figures

Liberty Cap, facing left *1793 – 35,334 Liberty Cap, facing 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 (Shown at top right) *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.'' Braided Hair *''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

References

Sources

* *''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 Walter Henry Breen Jr. (September 5, 1928 – April 27, 1993) was an American numismatist, writer, and convicted child sex offender. He was known among coin collectors for writing ''Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial ...

, 1983. *''The Half Cent, 1793–1857 The Story of American's Greatest Little Coin'' by William R. Eckberg, 2019 *''The Half Cent Handbook – Draped Bust Varieties 1800–1808'' by Ed Fuhrman, 2020. *''The Half Cent Handbook – Classic Head & Braided Hair Varieties'' by Ed Fuhrman, 2021. *''The Half Cent Handbook – Liberty Cap Varieties 1793–1797'' by Ed Fuhrman, 2022. *''The Half Cent Handbook – Errors and Oddities'' by Ed Fuhrman, 2022. *''The Half Cent Handbook – Ultimate Grading Guide'' by Ed Fuhrman, 2023. *''The Half Cent Handbook – Ultimate Attribution Guide'' by Ed Fuhrman, 2023.

External links