1796 United States 1/2 cent Value
Today a 1796 United States 1/2 cent typically sells for its melt value to well into four figures, with condition doing most of the work. Exceptional, certified pieces regularly exceed the top of that range.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1796 United States 1/2 cent value by grade
| Grade | Estimated 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.
How much is a 1796 United States 1/2 cent worth today?
The market for the 1796 United States 1/2 cent is driven by condition above all.
1796 United States 1/2 cent specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1796
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Copper
- Weight
- 6 g
- Diameter
- 23.5 mm
No mint mark? Here is why
The 1796 United States 1/2 cent comes from Philadelphia, which struck coins without a mint mark. If the spot where branch-mint coins show a letter is empty on your 1796, that is exactly as it should be.
What makes the 1796 United States 1/2 cent valuable
For the 1796 United States 1/2 cent, surviving examples tell the story that mint records do not. Museum-documented specimens define the issue for collectors.
There is history in a 1796 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.
1796 United States 1/2 cent inscriptions & design
Obverse
LIBERTY / (date)
Liberty head right with cap on pole
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / HALF / CENT / 1/200
Value in wreath
Measured 1796 United States 1/2 cent specimens
8 physically measured 1796 United States 1/2 cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 6 g, 23.5 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1796 United States 1/2 cent #1 | 5.831 g | 23.8 mm | 6 h | Breen.1518 (fake), Cohen.1, Gilbert.2 |
| 1796 United States 1/2 cent #2 | 5.175 g | 23.5 mm | 6 h | - |
| 1796 United States 1/2 cent #3 | - | - | - | Gilbert.1796.1, Breen.1519 |
| 1796 United States 1/2 cent #4 | 6.63 g | - | - | Gilbert.1796.2 (fake), Breen.1518cast |
| 1796 United States 1/2 cent #5 | 6.52 g | - | - | Gilbert.1796.1 (fake), Breen.1519electrotype |
| 1796 United States 1/2 cent #6 | 5.559 g | 13 mm | - | Breen.1519 (fake) |
| 1796 United States 1/2 cent #7 | 6.772 g | 23.5 mm | 6 h | Breen.1515 (fake) |
| 1796 United States 1/2 cent #8 | 6 g | 23 mm | 6 h | - |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.