1793 Liberty Cap Left Half Cent
Base
About This Coin
The 1793 Liberty Cap Left Half Cent is a United States cent from the Liberty Cap Left Half Cents 1793 series — the only year of issue. In 1793, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 35,334. The obverse features Liberty facing right with a Phrygian cap on a pole behind her head, symbolizing freedom and the reverse displays a wreath enclosing ONE CENT and 1/100 of a dollar. Designed by Joseph Wright, who died of yellow fever that same year. Only about 11,056 struck, making the 1793 Liberty Cap Cent one of the rarest regular-issue U.S. coins. Struck in copper, weighing 6.74 grams, 22 mm in diameter, with a lettered: two hundred for a dollar edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $4.2K to $39K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $56K in AU50 grade at Stack's. Designed by Joseph Wright (1793), John Smith Gardner / Robert Scot (1794-1796).
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.