1845 Braided Hair Half Cent
Base
About This Coin
The 1845 Braided Hair Half Cent is a United States cent from the Braided Hair Half Cents 1840-1857 series — 6th of 18 years in the series. In 1845, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 35. This represents the lowest annual mintage in the entire series, below the series median of 56. The obverse features Liberty facing left with braided hair swept up and held by a beaded cord, wearing a headband inscribed LIBERTY and the reverse displays a wreath enclosing ONE CENT. Minted during the age of Jacksonian democracy and the rise of the common man, as new branch mints opened in Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans. Struck in copper, weighing 5.44 grams, 23 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Estimated market value across variants is approximately $6.4K. A notable auction result reached $36K in PR64 grade at Goldberg Auctioneers. Designed by Christian Gobrecht.
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.
