1804 Draped Bust Half Cent. C-12. Rarity-2. Crosslet 4, Stemless Wreath. MS-63 BN (PCGS). Type: Type IV: Draped Bust.Design: Obv: A draped bust of Liberty faces right, her hair tied with a ribbon. The word LIBERTY is above and the date 1804 is below. Rev: Design of 1802 to 1808. A wreath surrounds the denomination HALF CENT, the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the border and another expression of the denomination, 1/200, below. A ribbon knot with double bow binds the base of the wreath.Weight Standard: 84 grains (5.44 grams).Diameter: 23.5 mm.Die Variety: Cohen-12, Breen-11, Gilbert-3. Obv: Large crosslet 4, straight up (i.e., not leaning to either the right or left). The upright of the letter R in LIBERTY is missing its right foot. This die was earlier used in the 1804 C-10 marriage; the short die scratch slanting down to the right from the lower right side of the digit 0 in the date is no longer visible in the later C-12 pairing. Rev: The Stemless Wreath reverse, and readily attributable, as such. Single leaf at the top of the left branch in the wreath, double leaf at the top of the right branch in the wreath; there are six berries on the left branch, five berries on the right branch. All of the Ts are normal, but the right foot is missing from both Ns (CENT and UNITED). There is a long die scratch from the base of the letter E in UNITED to the tip of the leaf below the outer berry left of the letter C in CENT. This is the same reverse earlier used in the 1804 C-13 pairing, and later in the 1805 C-1 and 1806 C-1 marriages.Cohen-12 is the only die variety that corresponds to the Crosslet 4, Stemless Wreath <em>Guide Book</em> variety of the 1804 half cent.Die State: Manley reports only a single die state for this variety. Obv: The fields are rough due to die rust, with heavy clash marks at the back of Libertys head below the ribbon ends. Rev: There are several short die breaks within the denticulation, the only one that is visible on most specimens extends across three to five denticles below the right ribbon end.Edge: Plain.Mintage: Government records report a mintage of 1,055,312 half cents for calendar year 1804, although the actual number of coins struck from 1804-dated dies is unknown. Some of the coins struck during 1804 were likely from 1803-dated dies, and additional 1804-dated specimens were almost certainly delivered in 1805, possibly as late as 1806.Estimated Surviving Population for the Issue: 15,000 or more coins in all grades.Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-2: 600 to 2,000 coins in all grades.Strike: Apart from softness to the border denticulation in isolated areas, typical of the die pairing, this coin exhibits universally bold to sharp detail on both sides. The individual strands of Libertys hair, the drapery lines and the individual leaves in the wreath are all noteworthy for their crispness of delineation.Surfaces: Far smoother than many of the other certified MS-63s for this variety. The surfaces are pleasingly toned in a blend of golden-brown, pale rose and light olive. The texture is satiny with good gloss, and neither side reveals even a single detracting blemish.Commentary: Half cent specialists have long been intrigued by the 1804-dated issue. Though many denominations with the 1804 date are well known rarities, the half cents are comparatively common, with 13 die varieties (one of which is often regarded as a die state) and seemingly infinite collectible die states. Several of the individual die varieties are extremely elusive, scarce in all grades and unknown in Mint State. The Cohen-12 is not as common as the C-13 or C-10 in Uncirculated grades, but remains a popular choice for type collectors, especially since it is the only die pairing of the Crosslet 4, No Stems variety.The stemless wreath on the reverse die of this variety is attributable to human error. The device punch that Mint employees created for the wreath design of 1802 to 1808 included only the leaves; the berries and stems had to be cut into each working die by hand. In the case of the reverse die of the 1804 C-12, the engraver simply forgot to add the stems. According to Manley, this is the final die variety struck for the 1804-dated half cent. From the ESM Collection.
