1857 1/2C, BN PR(PCGS#1332)

1857 1/2C, BN PR (PCGS#1332)

June 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: This is a handsome half cent with splashes of steel-gray to a base of warm walnut-brown patina. Fully struck with broad rims and reflective fields, the Proof status of this coin is definitive. It is an expertly produced, nicely preserved near-Gem specimen that will please even the most discerning numismatist.<p>By 1857 both the half cent and large cent had become unpopular with the public, their circulation limited and generally confined to the East. So unpopular had the half cent become in recent years, in fact, that the coinage of circulation strikes from 1832 through 1836 took several years to be fully distributed into commerce. Accordingly, no half cents were struck from 1837 through 1839, and from 1840 through 1848 only Proofs were produced. Circulation strike coinage resumed in 1849 on a limited basis, continuing through 1857 in generally dwindling numbers with an interruption in 1852 when, again, the Mint struck only Proofs.<p>The Act of February 21, 1857, reformed the nation's copper coinage by abolishing the half cent and replacing the large cent with the smaller copper-nickel cent. The Mint's final issue of half cents amounted to 35,180 circulation strikes and an unknown number of Proofs. According to PCGS CoinFacts, at least 250 Proof 1857 half cents are extant. The historic significance of this final year issue further explains why the 1857 is the most popular Proof half cent among specimen type collectors.