1796 Liberty Cap Right Half Cent

About This Coin

The 1796 Liberty Cap Right Half Cent is a United States cent from the Liberty Cap Right Half Cents 1794-1797 series — 3rd of 4 years in the series. In 1796, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 4,170. This represents the lowest annual mintage in the entire series, below the series median of 401,780. The obverse features Liberty facing right with a Phrygian cap on a pole behind her head and the reverse displays a wreath enclosing HALF CENT and 1/200. A major rarity. The "With Pole" and "No Pole" varieties refer to whether the pole for the Phrygian cap is visible. Only about 1,390 struck. Struck in copper, weighing 5.44 grams, 23.5 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $25K to $877K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $403K in MS64 grade at Stack's Bowers. Designed by John Smith Gardner.