Liberty Cap Half Cent

While the Liberty Cap Half Cent series has only two major design types, it includes numerous varieties.

Specifications

 * Designer (1794 Type): Robert Scot
 * Designer (1795 - 1797 Type): John Smith Gardiner
 * Obverse Design:
 * Reverse Design:
 * Edge: Lettered: "TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR"
 * Weight: 6.74 grams
 * Diameter: ±23.5 millimeters
 * Composition:  Copper - 100%
 * Dates Minted: 1794 - 1797

Background
The Liberty Cap half cent series only lasted from 1794 to 1797. But for so short a series, there seems to be an awful lot going on with it! Every single date and sub-type in this series is scarce and pretty costly— at least to the tune of a few hundred dollars for a basic circulated example. But this short series ALSO contains no less than FOUR five-figure rarities! As a type, the Liberty Cap half cent is far scarcer than its bigger sibling, the Liberty Cap large cent.

History
The Liberty Cap half cent is our nation’s second type of half cent. The first, the 1793 Flowing Hair half cent, was struck for one year only. The Liberty Cap half cent was introduced in 1794 so as to fall in line with the Liberty Cap large cent already in circulation since late 1793. Actually, the 1793 Flowing Hair half cent is ALSO a Liberty Cap half cent— but on the Flowing Hair half cent, Miss Liberty faces left and has a somewhat different styled bust, in addition to having its own designer, Henry Voigt.

There are actually two designers credited with the Liberty Cap half cent design: Robert Scot is responsible for the 1794 type, while John Smith Gardiner is credited with the 1795-97 type. Not that the basic designs differ between the 1794 and the 1795-97: both feature a bust of Miss Liberty on the obverse, facing right and flanked by a Liberty Cap on a pole; on the reverse are the words, “Half Cent” within a rather thin wreath.

Some experts surmise that production of the Liberty Cap half cent didn’t actually cease in 1797, as the official records show -—but rather continued on through 1798 and 1799, though recorded under 1797 mintages. There is no definite proof of this however. Whatever the case, the Liberty Cap half cent is one of only a few strictly 18th century U.S. Mint coin types. The United States would start over with a new type of half cent, the Draped Bust type, in 1800.

Collecting
There is an ongoing debate as to whether your half cent type collection is complete without the 1794 type. That’s because many early copper collectors make a distinction between the 1794 Liberty Cap half cent and the 1795-97 Liberty Cap half cents. In fact, they feel the 1794 Liberty Cap half cent is a one-year type unto itself! Officially, all half cents dated 1794-97 are part of the Liberty Cap half cent series. Still, here is the argument: the 1794 half cent has a different designer than does the 1795-97 half cent. And the 1794 half cent, despite having the same basic right-facing Miss Liberty design, simply looks different than the 1795-97 half cents. Specifically, on the 1794 half cent, Miss Liberty has thick apple-cheeks, more pronounced lips and bushier hair.

In the end, it’s up to each individual collector to decide if they need both a 1794 AND a half cent of 1795-97 to complete their Liberty Cap half cent type collection.

With a mintage of 81,600 pieces, the 1794 half cent is somewhat scarcer than the 1795 (mintage 109,000) and 1797 (mintage 119,215) half cents. The 1794 half cent retails $400 in Good, then leaps up to $900 in Fine. The 1795 date retails $350 in Good and $750 in Fine. Though the 1797 has roughly the same mintage as the 1795 half cent, the 1797 date seems to be harder to find. That’s why the 1797 half cent retails higher than the 1795 ($375 in Good, $950 in Fine).

1796 Variety
Notice we haven’t talked about the 1796 Liberty Cap half cent yet. Yes, they were struck. There are two types of 1796 half cents: “With Pole” and “No Pole” (signifying whether or not the Liberty Cap pole is visible). Both types are RARE! One reason for this is the U.S. Mint’s emphasis on coining gold and silver coins that year, not to mention switching over (again) to a new large cent design in the middle of the year! In any event, just 5,090 1796 With Pole half cents were struck, and just 1,390 1796 No Pole half cents!

The 1796 With Pole retails around $16,000 in Good, while the No Pole retails around $27,000 in Good. Those are very rough guideline prices. When these coins come up for auction, bidding can easily take these prices higher—especially for a certified 1796 No Pole half cent, as this particular coin is considered by many to be one of the Top 10 U.S. coin rarities!

1797 Variety
Another rarity in the Liberty Cap half cent series is the 1797 “gripped edge” half cent. This also retails in the $16,000 range in Good. If you think you have this particular 1797 treasure, make sure you have it authenticated. For the prices it brings, plenty of shady individuals would be more than happy to attempt facilitating their own “gripped edge” piece!

Talbot Allum & Lee Undertype
That’s not all. If you happen to own a Liberty Cap half cent, look at it a little closer. You COULD have two different 18th century coins in one! That Liberty Cap half cent you’re holding might, at one time, have been a 1794 New York token! Yes, in 1794-95, a private New York city firm known as Talbot Allum & Lee, issued a number of copper halfpenny tokens. These tokens feature a standing Liberty-type figure on the obverse, a sailing ship on the reverse. Well, the U.S. Mint obtained a number of New York tokens and, as the Mint supply of copper was limited, struck down these Talbot Allum & Lee tokens to make half cent planchets! That’s why many a Liberty Cap half cent will display remnants of a Talbot Allum & Lee token design!

1794 Flowing Hair Half Dollars Undertype
But the Talbot Allum & Lee undertype doesn’t compare to another Liberty Cap half cent undertype that’s turned up in recent years. For this, we go back to early 1794, when the U.S. Mint was preparing to strike their first half dollar coins. Before they could strike the first official half dollars of course, pattern test-runs had to be struck first. So a few pattern 1794 Flowing Hair half dollars were struck in copper. Apparently the experimentation was a success, because in 1794, the U.S. Mint did indeed strike its first half dollar coin (in silver, of course, not in copper). Meanwhile, what became of those rare copper half dollar patterns of 1794? Pieces of them have turned up as undertypes of Liberty Cap half cents! Yes, apparently copper was SO scarce at the U.S. Mint, they didn’t waste anything! Not even copper pattern coins! They were cut down and used to make Liberty Cap half cents! Only a few such undertypes have turned up, and experts estimate their values in the five-figure category.

Grading
How hard is it to find Liberty Cap half cents in nice shape today? Very hard. First of all, these humble early coppers were struck in small numbers, and relatively few of that original paltry number have survived. They are rarely found in grades better than Very Good. More often than not, they survive in grades of About Good or lower. Planchet quality was not great for these coins, neither were they struck in bold relief. Simply finding one with a full date, a fully outlined Liberty bust, and readable legends, takes some doing. Should you find one with any facial or hair detail on the Liberty bust, you have a coin to be treasured.

Mints

 * Philadelphia Mint (no mintmark)