1840 United States 1/2 cent Value
Today a 1840 United States 1/2 cent typically sells for its melt value to well into four figures, with condition doing most of the work. Where your coin lands depends on wear, strike and surface quality.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1840 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.
What is a 1840 United States 1/2 cent worth right now?
The market for the 1840 United States 1/2 cent is driven by condition above all.
1840 United States 1/2 cent specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1840
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Copper
- Weight
- 6.53 g
- Diameter
- 24 mm
The missing mint mark, explained
The 1840 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 1840, that is exactly as it should be.
What makes the 1840 United States 1/2 cent valuable
Documented examples of the 1840 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 1840 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.
1840 United States 1/2 cent inscriptions & design
Obverse
LIBERTY [on coronet] / (date)
Liberty bust left, surrounded by 13 stars
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / HALF / CENT
Value in wreath
Measured 1840 United States 1/2 cent specimens
2 physically measured 1840 United States 1/2 cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 6.53 g, 24 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 United States 1/2 cent #1 | - | - | - | Gilbert.1840.1, Breen.1579 |
| 1840 United States 1/2 cent #2 | 6.53 g | 24 mm | - | Gilbert.1840.1f, BreenHC.1840.1f, Breen.1579electrotype |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.