1846 Braided Hair Half Cent
Base
About This Coin
The 1846 Braided Hair Half Cent is a United States cent from the Braided Hair Half Cents 1840-1857 series — 7th of 18 years in the series. In 1846, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 38. This ranks 3rd of 18 years by total mintage, 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. Small Date, Medium Date, and Tall Date varieties. Higher mintage year. Struck in copper, weighing 5.44 grams, 23 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Estimated market value across variants is approximately $6.8K. A notable auction result reached $24K in PR66 grade at Heritage Auctions. 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.
