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 valued at five milles, or one two-hundredth of a dollar. 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). Coinage was discontinued by the Coinage Act of February 21, 1857.
There are several different types of half cents:
- Liberty Cap, Left (designed/engraved by Henry Voigt) – issued 1793
- Some feature edge lettering that says “TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR”
- Liberty Cap, Right (large head designed by Robert Scot, small head designed by Scot-John Gardner, engraved by Robert Scot) – issued 1794 to 1797
- Some 1794, 1795, and 1797 coins feature edge lettering that says “TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR”
- One 1797 variety has a gripped (or milled) edge
There are no mint marks on any coins (despite all being minted at the Philadelphia Mint), and the edges are plain on most half cents, with some varieties being the exception.
Liberty Cap, Left
- 1793 – 35,334
Liberty Cap, Right
- 1794 – 81,601
- 1795 – 139,690
- 1796 – 1,390
- 1797 – 127,840
The U.S. Mint was founded shortly after the country itself was founded.
The Design of the Liberty Cap Half Cent
On the obverse side of the Liberty Cap Half Cent, the center of the face is marked by the leftward-facing bust of Lady Liberty. Lady Liberty is depicted in stunning detail, showing her bow-tied hair being blown in the wind. Arching overtop of the central image is an inscription that reads “Liberty.” Beneath the central image is the year of minting, 1793. Around the outer edges of both sides of the coin are raised dots that give the coin some added texture.
The coin’s reverse can best be described as ornate, as the detail and imagery are second to none. The coin’s “Half Cent” face value is marked in the center. Partially surrounding this inscription is a wreath tied together with a bow. Beneath the bow, you will see an inscription that reads “1/200” or the coin’s face value. Finally, arching over the reverse are the words “United States of America.”
French medalist Augustin Dupre designed the Libertas Americana medal that inspired the 1793 half-cent to celebrate American victories in the Revolutionary War. Intricately detailed and highly expressive, the medal made an excellent model for a coin. However, the original adaptation of the design lasted only one year.
The Evolution of the Design
In 1794, Chief Engraver Robert Scot modified the design by enlarging the bust of Liberty and making her face right rather than left. He also significantly increased the size of the “mob” cap set on top of the Liberty pole. An innovative mechanical experiment was tried with the reverse. Rather than using individual device punches to make up the die, Scot created a complete reverse hub that included the wreath, all lettering, and denticles around the border. The wreath was like the one from the previous year but without the sprays of berries. The entire design was sunk in higher relief than the half cents of subsequent years.
The half cents of 1794 represent a distinct type, quite different from those of 1795-97, but traditionally included with the later years. The dies for the half cents of 1795 through 1797 were cut by Assistant Engraver John Smith Gardener, who lowered the relief, reduced the size of Liberty, and hand-punched in the wreath. While the series has only two major design types, it includes numerous varieties, including the so-called “punctuated” date of 1795, created by a slip of an engraver’s tool, which resulted in the date reading 1,795.
Varieties with the pole missing in front of Liberty’s bust exist for 1795 and 1796. In both cases, an unintentional flaw was caused in 1795 by excessive lapping of the die, while the die sinker apparently forgot to punch in the device the following year. Some half cents from 1795 and 1797 were struck from cutting down Talbot, Allum & Lee tokens, necessitated by the Philadelphia Mint’s frequent shortages of copper planchet stock during the 1790s. Occasionally, remnants of the host token can be seen with traces of the ship’s sails or the peripheral lettering apparent on the finished half-cent.
Plain edge and lettered edge varieties were known in 1797. Lettered edge examples are scarce and seldom seen above Fine condition. One of the most prominent varieties in the series is from 1797 and shows a numeral 1 directly above the 1 in the date. This error was created when the numeral was first punched into the die, which was much too high and close to the bottom of the bust. Rather than effacing the error by polishing the die, the date was punched in the working die in the correct position, with the first, higher-positioned numeral remaining clear on the struck coins.
Quality Variation
During the four years Liberty Cap half cents were struck, 359,529 pieces were produced. No true proof is known. As with all early coppers, planchet quality varied greatly, and there was considerable variation in striking characteristics from one year to the next. The coins from 1794 are invariably deep brown or black, while those from 1795 are usually light brown. Half cents of 1796 are once again dark brown or even black, and many exhibit porosity and planchet flaws. Planchet quality in 1797 is above average for the series, most likely because of the many coins struck from Talbot, Allum & Lee tokens, which had been manufactured from high-quality English copper blanks.
