1793 United States 1/2 cent Value

A 1793 United States 1/2 cent is worth roughly its melt value to well into four figures depending on its condition. Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.

Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.

1793 United States 1/2 cent value by grade

1793 United States 1/2 cent value by grade
GradeEstimated value

Estimated retail range. Estimates are modeled from mintage rarity and metal content, not auction records. Actual sale prices vary with certification, eye appeal and market timing.

What is a 1793 United States 1/2 cent worth right now?

Pricing for the 1793 United States 1/2 cent depends on grade and current collector demand.

1793 United States 1/2 cent specifications

Series
United States Coinage
Year
1793
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
Copper
Weight
7.495 g
Diameter
22 mm

Why this coin has no mint mark

The 1793 United States 1/2 cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which used no mint mark in this era. If you find no letter where branch-mint coins carry one (check the usual position for this series), you are holding a Philadelphia issue.

Why the 1793 United States 1/2 cent is worth money

Documented examples of the 1793 United States 1/2 cent in our reference database anchor what we know about this issue. Mintage records are incomplete, so collector demand and surviving population drive its market.

There is history in a 1793 United States Coinage as well. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. That backdrop keeps the series among the most actively collected in American numismatics.

1793 United States 1/2 cent inscriptions & design

Obverse

LIBERTY / (date)

Liberty bust left with liberty cap on pole

Reverse

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / HALF / CENT / 1/200

Value in wreath

Measured 1793 United States 1/2 cent specimens

12 physically measured 1793 United States 1/2 cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 7.495 g, 22 mm minting standard.

Measured 1793 United States 1/2 cent specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1793 United States 1/2 cent #1---Gilbert.1793.3, BreenHC.2, Cohen.2, Breen.1502
1793 United States 1/2 cent #2---Gilbert.1793.3, BreenHC.2, Cohen.2, Breen.1502
1793 United States 1/2 cent #3---Gilbert.1793.4, BreenHC.1, Cohen.1, Breen.1501
1793 United States 1/2 cent #47.374 g-8 h-
1793 United States 1/2 cent #57.521 g-6 h-
1793 United States 1/2 cent #65.054 g-6 h-
1793 United States 1/2 cent #76.332 g-6 h-
1793 United States 1/2 cent #87.933 g-6 h-
1793 United States 1/2 cent #97.495 g-6 h-
1793 United States 1/2 cent #108.405 g-6 h-
1793 United States 1/2 cent #118.208 g-6 h-
1793 United States 1/2 cent #126.645 g23 mm6 hGilbert.1793. (fake), Breen.1502electrotype

Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.