I picked up this double struck 1807 Half Cent yesterday. The first strike is 60% off center, then the planchet rotated clockwise as it fell into position for the 2nd strike. This coin is in NGC Fine Details (improperly cleaned) holder. While I can spot an evidence of the cleaning at certain angles, the coin has re-toned to a natural looking dark drown in hand. I have zero regrets with this "problem" coin. Sometimes we must forgive ourselves for breaking the rules. Loving this one.

Newp- 1828 12 Stars C-2. Some discoloration but loving the price for the detail and oddity. Next up will be a 15 star 1817 large cent…

One of the members of this group, NeophyteNumismatist , suggested that I post one of my few Type Half Cents here on this forum.

I call this my "Ash Wednesday" Half Cent. I bought it as an MS64RD w/CAC, and when I received it in hand, I liked it so much that I sent it back to PCGS via Reconsideration. Sure enough, despite the obvious carbon spot, they agreed, and added on a plus, making it a 64+RD. Nice bump in value too with that plus.

Steve

This is a tremendous resource for collectors who want to avoid the pitfalls of counterfeit half cents. Special thanks to [jyoung5050]!

https://coinweek.com/struck-counterfeit-coin-of-the-week-1805-c-4-half-cent-1-page-attribution-guide/

This is lovely C-4 from Ed's profile page. Who knows how I know this?

Check out this RARE variety closing in auction this weekend at DLRC! The opening bid is at $30,000.

1855 - The ideal date for a Braided Hair Type Coin!

Yesterday I shared my new counter-stamped 1855 half cent; primarily to get information to better understand it (thanks to all that responded to my inquiries). However, there were further discussions about the 1855 half cent itself... "Are there a lot of unc 1855 half cents?"

YES! The 1855 is likely the most common half cent to find in high grade. There are more full red uncirculated 1855 half cents than any other date. If you are looking for a Braided Hair half cent for type, I would recommend this date over any other. Good Luck, and hope you find one you love!!!!

Here is my example for the date in PCGS64RB(CAC). I love it

I saw this 1855 in NGC62, and liked it a lot. It's been counter-stamped, "G. Clark Phila". Further research pulled up a January 3, 2021 Stacks Auction listing with the following description (not my exact coin, but the exact counterstamp on another 1855 HC):

"1855 Half Cent, G. CLARK / PHILA., AU Host; AU Counterstamp. Brunk C-508, Rulau Pa 713. Curved prepared punch. A dozen coins are listed, all on 1855 half cents. G. Clark counterstamps are remarkably high-quality for a blacksmith mark. Most examples were counterstamped on Uncirculated or nearly Uncirculated 1855 half cents; subsequently, most of those coins circulated in the local Philadelphia economy. Ex: Van Ormer Collection (Bowers and Merena, 9/1985), lot 2590."

This has me curious to learn more about the merchant. Does anyone know more about G.Clark? Address? Years in business? Does anyone know more than what is listed in the Stacks listing?

Book Review: "The Half Cent Handbook - Ultimate Attribution Guide" by Ed Fuhrman:

I own a lot of books about half cents; including all of the other books in Ed Fuhrman's half cent series. In addition to Fuhrman, I also have the Cohen, Breen, Manley and Eckberg books. Its safe to say, I have half cent varieties covered in my library. I found me asking myself, "Do I really NEED another book on half cents?" My answer was "no." BUT - curiosity got the better of me and I bought the book anyway.

When it arrived, I quickly knew I made a great purchase. Here is why this book will be my go-to when hunting half cents:

- It's small in size - this spiral-bound edition does not get into any of the history, nor does it give you anecdotal information about the coins or conditional rarity. This is simply a no-nonsense book to get a collector to quickly and accurately attribute half cents. This book can easily be stuffed in a show-bag for quick carry and access.
- Photo quality - i cringe when I buy an attribution guide and open it to find crudely drawn pictures of the coins. This book provides large, hi-definition photos in color. I love that.
- It's easy to use - You will not have to be an expert to start using this book, but you will become one. As stated above, all of the half cent varieties are included, and there is no need to flip between books to find what you need.
-It's affordable - building a numismatic library can be very expensive. It is not uncommon for specialty books to be $100, $200, or more. This book is $50, so its a great way to build some knowledge without a large financial investment (besides, the money you would make/save in your first "cherry-pick" would likely pay for this book a few times over :))

Summary - If you are looking for a portable, user-friendly guide to quickly attribute varieties as you hunt for coins, I cannot think of a better companion book. This book will not take the place of the others to get deeper historical knowledge of the series, but what it lacks in historical depth, it more than compensates in terms of quality, portability and ease of use.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in half cent attribution - regardless of the size of your existing half cent library.

Do you own this book? Please comment and let the group know your take!!!

My father-in-law gifted me this coin for my birthday earlier this year. He knew I collected half cents, and saw this one at a flea market in his home town. He was thrilled when I told him that this 1828 was one of the "cooler" varieties in the series due to the engraver only placing 12 stars in the field - not 13 (C-2, R.1). He cherry-picked one for me, and didn't even know it! You have to love that

[Sorry for the duplicate post. Trying to keep half cent information within the group for easier access]

"Half Cents don't get more rare over time." This was a hard concept for me to grasp... I mean, sure they do, right? People lose coins, they get damaged; ruined.

While all this may be true... collectors can also assume that there are many raw examples or old collections that have yet to come to market. A single known example drops in rarity by 50% when just one other is found.

Half cents are no different. The attached chart shows the relative rarity of half cent varieties in 1960, 1985 and 2017. You can see the downward trend in rarity as new examples are discovered and better documented.

They are still out there - Happy Hunting!

Here is another great YouTube video from the ANA Learning Academy presented by Franklin Noel. This video describes half cent designs, dates and die varieties and ties-in history in a meaningful way. Thanks to ANACoins and Franklin Noel for this great information!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBRdHBROKMw

1850 C-1 (NGC MS62BN).

[This is the key date to the braided hair half cents. This coin is VERY challenging to find with original red color, and price guides go "out the window" when they surface. I was happy to pickup this lovely brown example from TheCoinGeek (Thanks). ]

My Bad. I should've posted this here. Here's a nice 1804 double-struck draped bust half cent I came across a few years ago. It had me at hello.