1793 1/2C Flowing Hair Copper Half Cent NGC VF30.
The half cent was the smallest denomination of United States coin ever minted. Half cents were minted with five different designs over these 64 years. 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 and was 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 in 1793, with a recorder mintage of 35,334. Half cents were discontinued by the Coinage Act of February 21, 1857. All were produced at the Philadelphia Mint.
The 1793 Liberty Cap has obvious significance as the first Half Cent produced by the Mint, and is also a highly coveted one-year type. In the informative Encyclopedia of United States Half Cents: 1793-1857 Breen wrote that the Philadelphia Mint prepared two obverse and three reverse dies for this issue between April and July, 1793. The obverse design was based on sketches prepared by David Rittenhouse, who in turn relied heavily on Augustin Dupre’s attractive Libertas Americana medal of 1782. On July 20, the first 7,000 pieces were produced, followed by 24,934 coins on July 26, and a further 3,400 pieces on September 18. These three deliveries totaled a mere 35,334 coins.
