1806 Draped Bust Half Cent. C-1. Rarity-1. Small 6, 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 1806 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-1, Breen-3, Gilbert-1. Obv: Small, high 6 in the date with light repunching to this digit evident under magnification. The upright of the letter R in LIBERTY is missing its right foot. This obverse die was earlier used in the rare 1803 C-3 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). The long die scratch from the base of the letter E in UNITED evident in earlier uses of this die is not present in this marriage. This is the same reverse that struck the 1804 C-12, C-13 and 1805 C-1 varieties.Cohen-1 is the only die marriage of the Small 6, Stemless Wreath <em>Guide Book</em> variety of the 1806 half cent.Die State: Manley reports a single die state for this variety. Obv: Faint clash marks are evident in front of Libertys throat, just above the bust, and at the back of the head below the ribbon ends. The die is lightly cracked through the top of the letters in LIBERTY. Rev: Die breaks are present within the denticles below the right ribbon end and outside the letters MER and IC in AMERICA, although soft border detail obscures these from view on many examples.Edge: Plain.Mintage: The reported half cent mintage for calendar year 1806 is 356,000 coins, achieved in two deliveries:-September 19: 179,000 coins-December 30: 177,000 coinsThe mintage from 1806-dated dies is unknown, however, as some of the coins delivered that year many have been from the 1805 C-1 die pairing, and many examples from 1806-dated dies were almost certainly struck during calendar year 1807.Estimated Surviving Population for the Issue: More than 4,000 coins in all grades.Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-1: More than 2,000 coins in all grades.Strike: The obverse border is particularly well defined for the variety with nearly complete denticulation. Much of the denticulation is present on the reverse, as well, but it is absent at 3 to 4 oclock and light at 11 oclock. Softly struck at the top of Libertys head, the letters TY in LIBERTY and in the opposing areas on the reverse (lower right wreath, letters ICA in AMERICA), yet boldly to sharply defined elsewhere.Surfaces: Frosty surfaces are pleasingly toned in a blend of golden-brown, flint gray, sandy-tan and pale pinkish-rose. A few light carbon spots are noted, more so on the obverse, but both sides are overall smooth with no troublesome marks.Commentary: This popular die variety represents the final appearance of the Stemless Wreath reverse in the Draped Bust half cent series. This emboldened Gilbert and Cohen to place this marriage first in their numbering sequence, but Breen and Manley correctly note that the obverse of the 1806 C-1 pairing was earlier used to strike the C-3 combination, the rarest variety of the date by a substantial margin. The prominent rim cud break seen on Manley 3.0 examples of the 1806 C-3 alludes to the early break up of the reverse die in that pairing, prompting Mint employees to retrieve the Stemless Wreath reverse for one more press run. This die once again proved its worth for, based on the number of coins extant, the 1806 C-1 variety was produced in significant numbers. A fair number were saved, as well, and the C-1 variety is actually very available in the context of early half cents with even high grade examples not all that difficult to find. The present attractive Choice Mint State example would do equally well in a type or variety set. From the ESM Collection.
