1851 Braided Hair Half Cent
Base
About This Coin
The 1851 Braided Hair Half Cent is a United States cent from the Braided Hair Half Cents 1840-1857 series — 12th of 18 years in the series. In 1851, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 147,677. This represents the highest annual mintage in the entire series, above 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. The 1851/81 overdate is notable. High mintage year. Struck in copper, weighing 5.44 grams, 23 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $61 to $12K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $48K in PR64BN 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.
