1793 Liberty Cap Half Cent. Head Left. C-4. Rarity-3. AU-53 (PCGS). An attractive and remarkably sharp example of this iconic issue. The surfaces are toned in rich milk chocolate hues with deeper steely brown at the central obverse. A few old marks are found around the truncation of Libertys portrait but these go unnoticed to the naked eye. Well-centered, the obverse die is slightly drawn towards 9 oclock while the reverse is ideally positioned on the planchet. Nicely executed and incredibly preserved. The 1793 half cents were the first half cents struck by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation. Only 35,334 pieces were coined, of which perhaps 1,100 exist today. The issue employed four die varieties which remain roughly equal in rarity, though any example from this issue is an historic relic of the early American economy. Most are in very low grades and many have surface problems like corrosion or damage from careless handling over the past 227 years. High grade examples like this offered are indeed rare. Furthermore, demand for this issue is simply extraordinary, coming from the highest degree of strength in the early copper market from legions of knowledgeable numismatists. Add to this the desire to own a high grade example from the many type and date collectors, and there simply is not enough supply to meet this ongoing demand. Thus when a solid representative of this type comes up for auction, expect strong interest and active bidding.
