1805 Draped Bust Half Cent. C-2. Rarity-5. Small 5, Stems to Wreath. EF-40 (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 1805 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-2, Breen-2, Gilbert-4. Obv: Small 5 in the date, the letter R normally formed, the adjacent T essentially footless. This die was later used in the 1805 C-3 pairing. Rev: The uppermost leaf point in the cluster of three is centered under the letter O in OF, which is diagnostic for a Stems to Wreath reverse of the 1805-dated issue. This reverse die was also used in the 1803 C-4 marriage.Along with Cohen-3, Cohen-2 corresponds to the Small 5, Stems to Wreath <em>Guide Book</em> variety of the 1805 half cent.Die State: Manley reports only a single die state for this variety. Obv: Perfect. Rev: Perfect.Edge: Plain.Mintage: Government records report a mintage of 814,464 half cents for calendar year 1805, achieved in four deliveries:-March 30: 439,000 coins-May 10: 113,000 coins-June 29: 142,464 coins-December 31: 120,000 coinsThe exact number of half cents struck from 1805-dated dies, however, is unknown. Some of the coins struck during calendar year 1805 were from 1804-dated dies, as well as the 1803 C-4 pairing, and coinage from 1805-dated dies (presumably the C-1 variety) may have continued into 1806.Estimated Surviving Population for the Issue: 1,250 to 4,250 or more coins in all grades.Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-5: 30 to 75 coins in all grades.Strike: This is a well struck example with full denticulation in all areas around both sides save for along the lower right obverse, where the border is a bit thin. The top of the wreath on the reverse is a lightly struck, the high points of Libertys hair and bust are soft due to wear. Otherwise there is bold to sharp detail for all design elements. Close inspection with a loupe reveals light strike doubling on the obverse along Libertys profile, at the ribbon ends, and at the letters in the word LIBERTY.Surfaces: Mottled medium copper and autumn-brown patina adorns both sides with minimal autumn-brown highlights around the periphery on the reverse. The texture is soft and satiny, the surfaces hard and tight. Concentrations of wispy handling marks in and around the centers on both sides are noted, the most useful for identification purposes on the obverse at Libertys ear, the hair curl at the back of the neck and along the top of the drapery.Commentary: Cohen-2 is the rarest of the four known die marriages of the 1805-dated half cent, and the variety was rated Rarity-7 as late as 1956 (per Breen). A few more have been confirmed since then, but the total number probably does not exceed 40 coins. The finest known is the Weinberg-Weber-Missouri Cabinet specimen, certified PCGS AU-50 at the time of Ira & Larry Goldbergs January 2104 sale of the final-listed collection. CC#2 is the Ruby-Tettenhorst-Weber coin whose most recent auction appearance was as lot 2326 in Superiors June 2002 sale of the Bill Weber Collection, where it was graded VF-35 by EAC standards. This example from the ESM Collection is also Condition Census, and represents a standout highlight among the Draped Bust half cents in this cabinet. From the ESM Collection. Earlier from Heritages sale of the Nora Bailey Collection, September 2008 Long Beach Signature Auction, lot 112.
