1795 1/2C C-5b, BN MS(PCGS#35086)

June 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3003

Grade

VF20BN

Price

2,196

Lot Description

113.0 grains. Detail is uneven on both sides, most features bold for the grade, but the obverse soft at lower left, reverse likewise at upper left and lower right. The bisecting crack on the latter side explains the lack of detail where the denomination HALF CENT should be. Generally olive-brown, the surfaces show glints of pinkish-orange color here and here. This is secondary color, both sides with a few faint hairlines in places and some curious glossiness to the texture. Micropitting is largely original to the planchet; there are no sizeable marks.<p>Cohen-5 is the last and most numerous variety included in the Mint's 30,000-piece half cent delivery of January 22, 1796. The obverse is the same used previously in the C-1 With Pole pairing, although after drastic regrinding of the die removed the pole. Desperate for planchets at a time of rising copper prices, the Mint used a fairly even mix of thin and thick stock with the 1795 C-5 dies. At 113 grains, the specimen offered here qualifies as a thick planchet piece under the traditional C-5b attribution. This is a median weight for the attribution as reported by Eh Fuhrman in the 2022 volume of his <em>Half Cent Handbook</em>. The planchets for these C-5b half cents came from cut down misstruck large cents and, to a lesser extent, unused large cent stock.