Frosty honey brown centers yield to warm muted blue and faded mint color at the peripheries. The reverse retains a bit more mint color, mellowed to deep orange, but obverse and reverse are equally lustrous and attractive. A few harmless specks are seen, one atop the right side of E of LIBERTY and two others near the bust truncation. Another at the top left corner of Libertys hair bow blends in more easily. Though the reverse appears a bit speckled in areas, only the spot right of A in STATES is notable. A well-hidden contact point is seen on the obverse rim at 10:00, while another hides in the middle of Libertys hair. The cheek is toned a bit darker than the rest of the coin, but in this case it is neither evidence of wear nor worthy of concern. The striking softness at and below CENT is typical of the variety.The die state is crisp, uncracked, and early, equivalent to Manley 1.0 and Breen Die State I. Despite its listing order by both Cohen and Breen, Manley has satisfactorily shown that this variety was actually the second 1803 die marriage struck, following the very scarce 1803 Cohen-2.Only the Missouri Cabinet 1803 Cohen-3 has been graded higher among 1803 half cents seen by PCGS. Among Cohen-1s, the MS-64 RB (PCGS) McGuigan coin may be preferred by many based on its color, though PCGS preferred this one on a strictly technical basis. The Missouri Cabinet coin was graded Uncirculated Details, Cleaned.
