1794 1/2C C-2a, BN MS(PCGS#35024)

Spring 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2005

Grade

VF20BN

Price

3,600

Lot Description

Manley Die State 3.0. Nice tan-brown in the fields and over the design elements gives way to warmer olive-copper patina in the protected areas around and within those elements. The surfaces are visually pleasing, if a tad bright at certain angles suggesting an ancient, very light cleaning. No sizable or individually mentionable marks are seen, and all major design elements remain boldly defined in the presence of moderate, even wear. Sharp, clear clash marks from the reverse wreath encircle much of Liberty's portrait and confirm the Manley Die State 3.0 attribution, the "usual state" for the 1794 C-2a, as defined by the author in his 1998 <em>Half Cent Die State Book</em>.<p>With upward of 500 coins believed extant (per Bill Eckberg, 2019), the Small Edge Letters variety accounts for the vast majority of 1794 Cohen-2 half cents. Surprisingly, however, the 1794 C-2a is difficult to locate in grades above Very Fine. This PCGS VF-20 offers solid quality for the variety and, with plenty of eye appeal as well, it will have no difficulty finding its way into another advanced half cent collection.