Half Cents were issued from 1793 to 1857 and are the lowest denomination coin ever issued by the United States. Liberty Cap, Facing Left Half Cents were made in 1793. Liberty Cap, Facing Right Half Cents was made from 1794 to 1797.
From 1800 to 1808 Draped Bust Half Cents were issued and Classic Head Half Cents were made from 1809 to 1836. Finally Braided Hair Half Cents were introduced in 1840 and made till 1857 when the coinage of Half Cents was permanently discontinued. All Half Cents were minted in Philadelphia and are scarce!
No Pole. One of the legendary rarities in American Numismatics! Just 1,390 half cents were coined in 1796. Two obverse dies were used - one with a pole to the bust of Liberty and this type without the pole. Both are rare. An estimate 115 With Pole examples are known, but fewer than 30 No Pole coins are accounted for. All known examples have a distinctive bisecting die crack on the obverse. This is a very pleasing example with exceptional detail for a VG-10. The surfaces are a medium brown and, while not perfect, are superior to most know examples with just minor granularity.
CAC. Spiked Chin. C-8. Latest die state with a fully developed die cud over LIBE on the obverse. A pleasing example of this dramatic variety with sharp detail and lustrous chestnut brown surfaces.
Plain 4, No Stems. C-13.
CAC. Spiked Chin. Splendid soft tan surfaces with beautiful underlying mint red. The strike is very sharp and the eye appeal is outstanding!
CAC. Crosslet 4, No Stems. Well struck with lustrous light brown surfaces that are absolutely gorgeous and have a subtle reddish hue. There are no significant marks or spots to distract from this coins' exceptional eye appeal.
Spiked Chin.
Very nearly mint state with glossy chestnut brown surfaces and no obvious sign of 'rub'.
UNC Details - Improperly Cleaned.
VF Details - Corroded, Burnished.
12 Stars. C-2.
12 Stars.
Original. Only about 30 original 1831 half cents are believed extant which includes proofs and business strikes. There is some debate as to whether the 9 coins PCGS has graded as regular strikes are in fact circulated proofs. Mint figures state that 2,200 business strikes were minted but figures from this era can be inaccurate. The present example has exceptionally nice chocolate brown surfaces which are problem-free with zero porosity. The detail is solid for the grade and he eye appeal is very strong. A very rare and highly desirable half cent!
CAC.
Sharply struck and highly lustrous with velvety mahogany brown surfaces.
Well detailed with pleasing olive-brown surfaces. A modest 39,800 minted.
The final year of the series saw a modest 35,180 coins struck.
A beautiful chocolate brown proof with glossy problem-free surfaces that display subtle steel-blue and copper-red hues. 266 proofs were struck but fewer than 150 have survived.