1856 Braided Hair Half Cent
Base
About This Coin
The 1856 Braided Hair Half Cent is a United States cent from the Braided Hair Half Cents 1840-1857 series — a late issue, 17th of 18 years in the series. In 1856, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 40,880. This ranks 14th of 18 years by total mintage, 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. Penultimate year of the large cent. Production declined as the Flying Eagle Cent was being prepared. Struck in copper, weighing 5.44 grams, 23 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $69 to $7.8K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $25K in PR67 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.
