1828 Classic Head Half Cent - 13 Stars, Brunk C-20, C. & G.A.

Coin Details

Description

This 1828 Classic Head Half Cent - 13 Stars bears a merchant counterstamp attributed to C. & G.A., cataloged as Brunk C-20. Counterstamps were applied to circulating coins by merchants, silversmiths, and tradesmen as a form of portable advertising — the business card of early America. The C. & G.A. stamp was punched into the coin after it left the Mint, repurposing it as a merchant advertising piece. The host coin is a 1828 cent from the Classic Head Half Cents 1809-1836 series. The host coin's original mintage was 398,000, though counterstamped examples represent only a tiny fraction of survivors. Struck in copper, 23.5 mm in diameter. Cataloged as PCGS #958649. Counterstamped coins documented in Gregory G. Brunk's "American and Canadian Countermarked Coins" sit at the intersection of numismatics and Americana — each piece is a primary-source historical document of early American commerce. The counterstamp adds a unique layer of provenance that distinguishes this coin from all other examples of its type.