Numismatic

1855 Half Cent AU

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In the mid nineteenth century, the United States Mint produced a denomination that seems almost unimaginable today: the half cent. This 1855 issue, struck in copper at the Philadelphia Mint, represents the twilight years of this tiny denomination. Surviving in Almost Uncirculated condition, this coin offers a remarkably clear window into the craftsmanship of the era. The obverse features a classic personification of Liberty. Her hair is bound up, and she wears a coronet that is clearly inscribed with the word LIBERTY. Beneath her portrait, the date 1855 is boldly struck. The design displays the elegant, clean lines characteristic of Christian Gobrecht's mid-nineteenth-century work. On the reverse, a delicate wreath encircles the face value, HALF CENT. Surrounding this central motif is the full name of the issuing nation, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. This copper piece serves as a fascinating artifact from a time when even a fraction of a cent held significant purchasing power in daily American commerce.