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Half cent
United States
Value	0.5 cents or 0.005 US dollars
Diameter	23.5 mm
Thickness	2 mm
Edge	lettered (1793, 1797); plain (1794–1857); gripped (1797);
Composition	100% copper
Years of minting	1793–1857
Obverse
Design	Lady Liberty with braided hair
Designer	Christian Gobrecht
Design date	1840
Reverse
Design	Denomination surrounded by a wreath
Design date	1840
Design discontinued	1857

The half cent was the smallest denomination of United States coin ever minted. It was first minted in 1793 and last minted in 1857. It was minted with five different designs.

History

First authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792 on April 2, 1792,^[1] the coin was produced in the United States from 1793 to 1857. The half-cent piece was made of 100% copper 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).^[2] They were all produced at the Philadelphia Mint.

The Coinage Act of February 21, 1857 discontinued the half-cent and the similar large cent, and authorized the small cent (Flying Eagle cent).

Design varieties

Half cent types

Liberty Cap (facing left)

Liberty Cap (facing right)

Draped Bust

Classic Head

Braided Hair

There are several different types of half cents:

Liberty Cap, Facing left (designed and engraved by Henry Voigt) – issued 1793
Liberty Cap, Facing 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 and engraved by Robert Scot or John Reich) – issued 1809 to 1836
Braided Hair (designed by Christian Gobrecht) – issued 1840 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, 1794, and some 1795 coins and a variety of the 1797 coin, it was lettered TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR 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

^ Whitman The Official Guide Book 64th Edition 2011 page: #87
^ Whitman The Official Guide Book 64th Edition 2011 pages: #87, #89, #90, and #92

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, 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.