The recent discovery of only the second known example of the 1842 Philadelphia Mint half dollar with Small Date and Small Letters prompts me to write about this very distinctive year in United States coinage. 1842 was a year of transition for most USA coin denominations, with major naked-eye varieties abounding.

Though talented engraver Christian Gobrecht had been providing the U.S. Mint with his services as an outside contractor for several years, it was not until 1835 that Mint Director Robert M. Patterson finally received permission to hire him as second engraver under Chief Engraver William Kneass. Gobrecht, as it turned out, was by far the more skilled and imaginative artist, and over the next seven years he transformed the United States coinage. 1842 saw the near completion of this overhaul, though a further modification of the one-cent piece came two years later..