1797 Liberty Cap Half Cent. C-3b. Rarity-4. Lettered Edge. VF Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS).Nicely centered in strike, this more affordable Liberty Cap half cent offers bold definition to all major design elements with the exception of the upper right portion of the wreath. Universally rough dark brown surfaces explain the PCGS qualifier. Based on die state evidence, Ronald P. Manley (1998) states that the Lettered Edge variety is the first of the 1797 C-3 half cents produced. Survivors are scarcer than those of the C-3a Plain Edge, yet nowhere near as rare as those of the C-3c Gripped Edge.From the Boston Old City Hall Collection.
