Photos and descriptions used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries

Unknown to Walter Breen and to our knowledge unrecorded in any reference, this is a coin that Breen would have said “carries its own credentials.” In his 1977 proof reference, Breen only records an 1892-O dollar as a Branch Mint proof. There is no mention of a half dollar. However, there is more of a reason for the New Orleans Mint to have produced a specimen half dollar than a dollar. It may well be that the half dollar was produced first, and the silver dollar struck as an afterthought. The significance of the 1892-O half dollar was addressed extensively in an article by Paul M. Green in the May 2, 2006, issue of Numismatic News:

” …the written information of the time suggests there was quite a bit of interest in the Columbian Exposition half dollars, which might have been natural as they were the first half dollar commemorative of the United States. The new dimes, quarters and half dollars for circulation were apparently not as interesting.

“There should have been some interest in the 390,000 Barber halves produced at New Orleans that year if for no other reason than the fact that half dollar production at New Orleans was unusual. The New Orleans facility had produced its last half dollar three decades earlier in 1861, when the Civil War was dividing the nation. (more…)

Photos and descriptions used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries

The half cent coin was produced in the United States from 1793-1857. The half-cent piece was made of 100% copper. It was slightly smaller than a modern U.S. quarter, with a diameter of 23.5 mm (0.93 inch). Although it is the lowest face value coin ever produced by the United States, given nineteenth century price levels, it was approximately equal to a dime today, in terms of purchasing power.

Opinion varies as to whether or not this should be considered as a separate type or included in the 1794-97 Type. Q David Bowers in his book on US Type Coins (Whitman 2005) considers this as a single year type coin, so who are we to disagree.

Very difficult to locate in higher grades.

Nine different varieties are known for the 1794 half cent coinage, with six additional sub-varieties that are distinguished by either large or small edge letters. Few survive in Mint State grades. (more…)