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Once upon a time, long ago, a coin worth a half cent in face value could actually
purchase something worthwhile.
The
Half Cent was one of the earliest
United States coins to see duty, first minted in 1793, just as George
Washington was settling into his second term as President. In those days,
an average workman could hope to earn only about one dollar a day, so the Half
Cent was indeed a useful denomination in daily commerce.
The Half Cent
is about the size of today's quarter, and was coined intermittently
throughout its life. Eventually, the coin fell out of favor with the public,
as noted by Mint Director James Snowden in his 1854 report:
People will not
take the trouble to make a cent with two pieces of money.
What's
more, higher copper prices and increased labor costs made the Half Cent
unpractical to mint. The last of the Half Cents were released in 1857.
There are five
types of Half Cents: Liberty Cap Left (directly
below, 1793 only), Liberty Cap Right (1794-1797),
Draped Bust (1800-1808),
Classic Head (1809-1836), and
Coronet (1840-1857).
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Liberty Cap Left
Half Cent Specifications |
Diameter: |
Weight: |
Minted: |
Composition: |
Designer |
Edge: |
22.0 mm |
6.74 g |
1793 |
1.000
Cu |
Adam Eckfeldt |
Lettered |
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Coin Photos courtesy of
Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA. |
Many Half Cents were produced in appreciable quantities, leaving
collectors with an ample supply to choose from. There are a few key
dates that are rare and always have been held in high esteem by
numismatists. If past trends are any indicator, and they usually are,
these are the Half Cents most likely to increase in value in the years
ahead:
Key date Half Cents are offered for sale below. The left
hand side of each "Sales Box" is value trend data over a very long period of
time for a coin of that date in Good-4 condition. The percent annual
increase is computed for comparative purposes. The coin pictured
for sale in the right hand side is not necessarily the same condition coin
as that represented in the value trend analysis.
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1793
Half Cent
Condition: G-4
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1796
Half Cent (pole)
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950:
$22.50
1980: $750
1995: $1450
2003: $2000
2007: $3500
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Value Trends
1950:
$150
1980: $1750
1995: $9000
2003: $9000
2007: $20000
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
8.19%
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
8.96%
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1802
Half Cent
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950:
$20.00
1980: $165
1995: $500
2003: $750
2007: $1000
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
7.10%
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Half Cents
1793-1857 |
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Large Cents
1793-1857 |
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Flying Eagle Cents
1856-1858 |
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Indian Head Cents
1859-1909 |
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Lincoln Cents
1909-present |
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Two and Three
Cents 1851-1889 |
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Shield Nickels
1866-1883 |
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Liberty Nickels
1883-1913 |
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Buffalo Nickels
1913-1938 |
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Jefferson Nickels 1938-present |
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Early Half Dimes
1792-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 |
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Early Dimes
1796-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Dimes 1837-1891 |
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Barber Dimes
1892-1916 |
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Mercury Dimes
1916-1945 |
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Roosevelt Dimes 1946-present |
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Twenty Cents
1875-1878 |
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Early Quarters
1796-1838 |
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Seated Liberty Quarters 1838-1891 |
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Barber Quarters
1892-1916 |
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Standing Liberty
Quarters 1916-1930 |
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Washington
Quarters 1932-present |
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Early Half Dollars
1794-1839 |
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Seated Liberty
Half Dollars 1839-1891 |
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Barber Half
Dollars 1892-1915 |
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Walking Liberty
Half Dollars 1916-1947 |
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Franklin Half
Dollars 1948-1963 |
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Kennedy Half Dollars 1964-Present |
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Early Dollars
1794-1804 |
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Gobrecht Dollars 1836-1839 |
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Seated Liberty Dollars 1840-1873 |
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Trade Dollars
1873-1885 |
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Morgan Dollars
1878-1921 |
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Peace Dollars
1921-1935 |
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Eisenhower Dollars
1971-1978 |
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Anthony Dollars
1979-1981,1999 |
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Sacagawea Dollars
2000-present |
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Presidential Dollars
2007-present |
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Gold Dollars
1849-1889 |
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Early Quarter Eagles 1796-1834 |
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Classic Head Quarter Eagles 1834-1839 |
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Coronet Quarter
Eagles 1840-1907 |
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Indian Head
Quarter Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Three Dollar Gold
1854-1889 |
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Early Half Eagles
1795-1834 |
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Classic Head Half Eagles 1834-1838 |
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Coronet Half
Eagles 1839-1908 |
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Indian Head Half
Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Early Eagles
1795-1804 |
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Coronet Eagles
1838-1907 |
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Indian Head Eagles
1907-1933 |
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Coronet Double
Eagles 1849-1907 |
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St-Gaudens Double
Eagles 1907-1933 |
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Eli Whitney filed a patent application for his
invention, the cotton gin, in 1793. The cotton gin greatly increased
the amount of land committed to cotton fields in the South, for it raised
the profitability of the crop. Prior to the introduction of the
machine, cotton profits were relatively low because of the intensive manual
labor required to remove the seeds.
Image courtesy of
Library of Congress. |
