The half cent denomination is popular both with type collectors who are seeking a single example of the major design types and with specialists.

The featured Cohen 1 1829 Classic Head half cent graded Mint State 63 brown by Numismatic Guaranty Co. sold for $4,560 at a Heritage auction on May 4. The coin served as the plate coin in Walter Breen’s Half Cent Encyclopedia. It has historically been called a Proof, but Heritage notes, “The strike is bold and the medium brown and olive surfaces are entirely reflective, but in this cataloger’s opinion, as well as that of NGC, the coin is not a proof.”

The cataloger adds, “Other observers may come to different conclusions than this cataloger, and that is what makes numismatics such an interesting and enjoyable endeavor.”

It was recently offered at Heritage’s April 2021 offering of the Donald G. Partrick Collection where it brought $3,360.

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