1809/6 1/2C 9 over Inverted 9, BN MS(PCGS#1126)

1809/6 1/2C 9 over Inverted 9, BN MS (PCGS#1126)

November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: Manley Die State 3.0. Rich orange-brown obverse toning contrasts with bolder chestnut brown on the reverse. Both sides have a hard, frosty texture that presents as remarkably smooth during in hand viewing. Only upon close inspection do we see a few minor handling marks and faint spots on both sides, reverse also with traces of surface build up nestled in among the design elements, although these features are extremely trivial and mentioned here solely for accuracy. Strike detail is typically weak at the borders for the die state, but the central motifs are crisp in the absence of all but light high point wear.<p>A popular variety of the first year 1809 Classic Head half cent that was long thought to be an overdate, Cohen-5 has since been reclassified as having the primary digit 9 in the date punched over an inverted 9. Remnants of the underdigit are clearly evident with the aid of a loupe. This variety barely edges out C-6 as the most readily obtainable of the issue with William R. Eckberg accounting for approximately 4,500 survivors in all grades in his 2019 reference <em>The Half Cent, 1793-1857: The Story of America's Greatest Little Coin</em>. Technically superior and visually appealing, the PCGS/CAC AU-55 example offered here is a great "collector coin" ideally suited for type or variety purposes.