1854 Braided Hair Half Cent. C-1. Rarity-1. MS-65 BN (PCGS). CAC. Type: Type VI: Braided Hair.Design: Obv: Liberty faces left, a coronet inscribed LIBERTY on her head. Thirteen stars encircle the portrait with the date 1854 below. Rev: A single branch bound at the bottom by a single bowed ribbon surrounds the denomination HALF CENT. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is around the border.Weight Standard: 84 grains (5.44 grams).Diameter: 23 mm.Die Variety: Cohen-1, Breen-1, 2, Gilbert-1. Obv: The only 1854-dated obverse in the half cent series, here in its only use. A tiny dash extends from the left base of the digit 1 in the date. Rev: Small berries on the branch. Die lines close the base of both As in AMERICA, there is a tiny die rust lump on the left upright of the letter H in HALF. This die was later used in the 1856 C-1 pairing.Die State: Manley 2.0, the scarcer of the two die states known to the author. Obv: The aforementioned dash from the left base of the digit 1 in the date is discernible with magnification. Rev: There is a die rust lump at the top of the upright of the letter I in UNITED.Edge: Plain.Mintage: 55,358 coins.Estimated Surviving Population for the Issue: Since there is only a single die variety known for the 1854 half cent, the estimated surviving population for the issue is the same as that for the die variety.Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-1: More than 2,000 coins in all grades.Strike: Smartly impressed with universally sharp detail from the rims to the centers.Surfaces: This premium quality Gem retains plenty of faded pinkish-red and pale apricot colors, both sides pleasingly toned in a blend of light golden-brown and olive-gray. Frosty in texture and quite smooth for the assigned grade.Commentary: According to Q. David Bowers in his popular book <em>American Coin Treasure</em><em>s and Hoards </em>(1997), about a thousand Mint State 1854 half cents were discovered by August C. Gies of Pennsylvania circa 1935. Those coins, long since widely dispersed, have delighted high quality type and date collectors ever since and have solidified the reputation of the 1854 as one of the more readily obtainable circulation strikes in the Braided Hair half cent series.The Breen-1 and 2 attributions for this issue correspond to Manley Die States 1.0 and 2.0, respectively, the latter author suggesting that only a single reverse die was used for all 1854 half cents. Manleys conclusion is based on the presence of the same die rust lump on the left upright of the letter H in HALF on the plate coins for both Breen-1 and 2. Not all numismatic scholars concur with Manleys assertion, however, and the debate surrounding this issue continues. From the ESM Collection.
