1804 1/2C Crosslet 4, Stems, BN MS(PCGS#1069)

Spring 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2033

Grade

MS63BN

Price

4,560

Lot Description

Manley Die State 1.0. An impressive condition rarity for both the type and die marriage, this coin is sure to see spirited bidding at auction. The surfaces are hard and tight with a softly frosted texture. The strike is a bit tight to 9 o'clock on the obverse, better centered on the reverse, both sides with full denticulation around the borders. Overall detail is sharp, in fact, the surfaces also smooth in hand with no mentionable marks. A few faint carbon spots in the right obverse field are all that seem to preclude an even higher grade for this PQ example.<p>The 1804 Cohen-8, 9 and 10 varieties share the same reverse die, which is (almost always) readily identifiable by the presence of a thick crack from the border through the letter R in AMERICA. The obverse die of C-9 exhibits a short, sharp die line from the upper left curve of the digit 0 in the date that extends toward the adjacent 8. While C-10 is one of the few 1804-dated half cent varieties that is relatively available in Mint State, C-9 is conditionally challenging with most survivors grading VF or lower. The present example joins the Eliasberg specimen as one of the few Uncirculated 1804 C-9 half cents that we have brought to auction.<p>While the official mintage of half cents for calendar year 1804 is 1,055,312 pieces, many were from 1803-dated dies, while many from 1804-dated dies were also struck in 1805. Through studies of delivery dates and surviving populations Bill Eckberg advocates for a mintage of approximately 1,275,000 coins for the 1804-dated half cent issue in his 2019 reference <em>The Half Cent, 1793-1857: The Story of America's Greatest Little Coin</em>. The author assigns the 1804 Cohen-9 variety to the June delivery of that year.