{{Short description|1793–1857 American coin worth 0.5 cents}} {{For2|the English equivalent|Half penny (disambiguation)|the Dutch coin|Half-cent coin (Netherlands)}} {{inline citations|date=January 2025}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox coin | Country = United States | Denomination = Half cent | Value = 0.5 cents or 0.005 | Unit = US dollars | Diameter = 23.5 | Thickness = 2 | Edge = {{plainlist| *lettered (1793, 1797) *plain (1794–1857) *gripped (1797)}} | Composition = 100% copper | Years of Minting = 1793–1857 | Obverse = 1851 half cent obv.jpg | Obverse Design = Lady Liberty with braided hair | Obverse Designer = Christian Gobrecht | Obverse Design Date = {{Start date and age|1840}} | Reverse = 1851 half cent rev.jpg | Reverse Design = Denomination surrounded by a wreath | Reverse Design Date = 1840 | Reverse 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. In that time, it had purchasing power equivalent to between {{inflation|US|.5|1793}}¢ and {{inflation|US|.5|1857}}¢ in {{inflation year|US}} values.{{Inflation/fn|US}} It was minted with five different designs.
==History== First authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792 on April 2, 1792,{{sfn|Yeoman|2014|p=91}} 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),{{sfn|Yeoman|2014|p=91}} 23.5 mm (1794–1836),{{sfn|Yeoman|2014|pp=91, 93}} and 23 mm (1840–1857).{{sfn|Yeoman|2014|p=96}} 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).{{sfn|Yeoman|2014|pp=112–113}}
==Design varieties== {{multiple image |caption_align=center |header_align=center |align = right |direction = vertical |width = 220 |header = Half cent types |image1 = NNC-US-1793-½C-Liberty Cap Half Cent (left).jpg |alt1 = |caption1 = Liberty Cap (facing left) |image2 = NNC-US-1794-½C-Liberty Cap Half Cent (right).jpg |alt2 = |caption2 = Liberty Cap (facing right) |image3 = NNC-US-1806-½C-Draped Bust Half Cent.jpg |alt3 = |caption3 =Draped Bust |image4 = NNC-US-1828-½C-Classic Head Half Cent (proof).jpg |alt4 = |caption4 = Classic Head |image5 = NNC-US-1844-½C-Braided Hair Half Cent (proof).jpg |alt5 = |caption5 = 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 {{smallcaps all|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
==See also== {{Portal|Money|Numismatics|United States}} * Penny (United States coin), the second smallest denomination of United States coin minted * Philippine half-centavo coin, similar denomination issued for the U.S. territory
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Sources== * {{Yeoman-2014}} {{sfn whitelist|CITEREFYeoman2014}} *''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.
==External links== * [https://www.coincommunity.com/us_half_cents/ Half Cent information by year and type] Histories, photos, mintages, mints, metal contents, edge designs, designers, and more * [http://www.coinpage.com/half+cent-coin-pictures.html Half cent coin pictures], Coin Page Database * [https://www.numismatics.org/collection/1858.1.1 This half cent (numismatics.org:1858.1.1) was the first coin donated to the American Numismatic Society] * [https://onlinecoin.club/Coins/CoinType/United_States/Half_Cent/ Half Cent, Coin Type from United States] Photos, mintage, varieties
{{United States circulating coinage}} {{Obsolete United States currency and coinage}} {{Coinage (United States)}} {{Money and central banking within the contemporary United States (pre–1913)}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Half-cent coins of the United States Category:Goddess of Liberty on coins Category:1790s introductions Category:1793 beginnings