1795 1/2C C-6b, No Pole, PE, Thick Plan, BN MS(PCGS#35092)

Spring 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auktionator

Stack's Bowers

Losnummer

2016

Erhaltungsgrad

F15BN

Preis

6.900

Losbeschreibung

108.0 grains. An unusually high grade example for this rare Cohen number that is seldom offered in any condition. Unlike the typical 1795 C-6b in Good and VG with heavily impaired surfaces, this PCGS-certified Choice Fine retains plenty of bold definition throughout the design. Border denticulation is crisp apart from where it thins minimally at lower obverse and upper reverse, and there is even considerable sharpness remaining within the recesses of Liberty's portrait and throughout the wreath. Handsome orange-brown and olive surfaces are impressively smooth overall with no sizable or otherwise distinguishing blemishes. A hint of underlying glossiness is noted for accuracy, but examples of this Cohen number simply do not get much better than this. The finest known, in fact, is an EF, with anything above the grade seen here exceedingly rare.<p>The traditional 1795 C-6b attribution refers to thick planchet examples from these dies. These were included in the deliveries of February and March 1796, alongside their C-6a thin planchet counterparts. Whereas the latter were struck on cut down Talbot, Allum & Lee cents, the planchets for the C-6b coins came from spoiled cent stock. The thick planchet pieces are rarities with Ed Fuhrman providing an estimate of only 50 or so known in his 2022 <em>Half Cent Handbook</em>. Rather than purposely creating coins at different weight standards, however, the Mint seems to have produced the thin and thick planchet pieces concurrently. Based on the huge disparity between the number of coins extant for the 1795 C-6a and 6b attributions, we can safely assume that the coiners were working with a much larger supply of cut down TAL cents than spoiled large cents at the time.