Liberty Cap half cent

The Liberty Cap half cent was the first half cent coin produced by the United States Mint. It was issued from 1793 until 1797.[1][2][3]

Liberty Cap half cent
United States
Value0.005 US Dollar
Mass1793–1795; 6.74 g
1796–1797; 5.44 g
Diameter23.5 mm
Edgeplain, lettered, or gripped
Compositionpure copper
Years of minting1793–1797
Obverse
DesignLiberty, facing left, with a Liberty cap on a pole behind her
DesignerUnknown (possibly Henry Voigt, Joseph Wright, or Adam Eckfeldt)
Design date1793
DesignLiberty, facing right, with a Liberty cap on a pole behind her
DesignerRobert Scot
Design date1794
Reverse
DesignWreath with strings of berries
DesignerUnknown
Design date1793
DesignWreath with single berries
DesignerUnknown
Design date1794

History

The Liberty Cap half cent was among the first coins produced by the Philadelphia Mint, with the only other coins produced by the Mint in 1793 were the Chain, Wreath, and Liberty Cap large cents.[4][5] Production of the half cent was temporarily suspended in 1797, but resumed in 1800 with a new design.[2]

Design

The obverse of the Liberty Cap half cent originally featured a bust of Liberty facing left, with flowing hair and a Liberty cap on a pole behind her.[1] In 1794, the design was flipped so that Liberty faced right.[6]

The reverse featured a wreath that was similar to that of the Wreath cent.[1]

Designers

The 1793 half cent was engraved by Henry Voigt, although it is not known if he was the original designer. The "Liberty facing right" coins were designed and engraved by Robert Scot.[1]

References

  1. "Liberty Cap Half Cents (1793-1797) | Complete Coin Guide". Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  2. "1793-1797 Liberty Cap Half Cents | NGC". www.ngccoin.com. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  3. CoinWeek (2010-10-10). "Half Cents - Liberty Cap Half Cent, Head Facing Right, Small Head, 1795-1797". CoinWeek. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  4. "1793 Liberty Cap Half Cent". Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  5. "1793 Liberty Cap Large Cent". Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  6. Yeoman, R.S; Bressett, Kenneth; Garrett, Jeff; Bowers, Q. David (2019). A Guide Book of United States Coins (72nd ed.). Pelham, AL: Whitman Publishing. pp. 103–104.
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