1794 Liberty Cap Half Cent. C-1b. Rarity-5+. Normal Head. Small Edge Letters--Planchet Lamination Obverse--VG-8 (PCGS). An attractive piece for the assigned grade, both sides are originally toned with no significant post-production blemishes. The obverse is a warm medium brown, the reverse lighter in autumn-brown color. The planchet laminations referred to on the PCGS insert slope down from right to left on the right half of the obverse; none are sizeable enough to warrant individual attention. With the exception of the first two digits in the date and a few letters along the left reverse border, all major design elements are discernible to bold. The PCGS edge view holder allows ready appreciation of significant portions of the lettering. Manley Die State 1.0.<p>As with the similarly rare 1794 C-2b Large Edge Letters (an example of which we are also offering in this sale), the earliest known appearance for the 1794 C-1b Small Edge Letters was in S.H. Chapmans 1924 sale of the F.R. Alvord Collection. Both varieties also share a similar grade distribution for survivors, which are usually in low grades. The present example is well circulated, to be sure, but it is better preserved than the typically impaired coin encountered for this Cohen number. Sure to see spirited bidding among advanced half cent variety collectors.
