The Flowing Hair half cent was struck in a single year, 1793, making it both the first half cent and a one-year type that every type-set collector needs. Its design — Miss Liberty facing left with a liberty cap on a pole — was adapted from the famous Libertas Americana medal, and surviving pieces are scarce in every grade.
Key facts
- Designed by: Adam Eckfeldt (attributed)
- Issue date: 1793
- Composition: Copper
- Diameter: 21.2 to 24.6 mm
- Weight: 6.73 grams (104 grains)
- Edge: Lettered — TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR
- Business strike mintage: 35,334
- Proof mintage: None
The obverse portrays Miss Liberty, with features engraved in detail, facing to the viewer’s left, with a liberty cap on a pole behind her head. The word LIBERTY is above, and the date 1793 is below, with a circle of beads around the outer edge. The reverse consists of a wreath with leaves and berries, open at the top and tied with a bow below. The denomination HALF CENTS is at the center, while UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the fraction 1/200 comprise the border. A circle of beads is at the rim. Several die varieties were produced.
The 1793 half cents were coined in late spring or summer of that year, using a design adapted from the famous Libertas Americana medal issued in France. Walter Breen suggested that Robert Birch and Adam Eckfeldt produced the reverse dies while Birch cut the obverse. The first delivery of struck pieces is said to have occurred on July 20, 1793.
Typically encountered 1793 half cents show extensive wear, with Fair, Good, and Very Good examples representing the majority. Fine pieces are rare, Very Fine coins rarer still, and pieces meriting the Extremely Fine or About Uncirculated designation are seldom met with. Occasionally an Uncirculated piece crosses the auction block. Many examples in grades from Fair through Fine show the words HALF CENT on the reverse weakly. Only a few hundred 1793 half cents survive today; the coin is scarce in all grades and is considered a key issue.
Further Reading
Coins of 1793 are of particular interest as they are the only half cents with Miss Liberty facing left in the Liberty Cap design — the style the Guide Book designates as the Head Facing Left motif. It was copied from the 1793 Liberty Cap large cent, which in turn was inspired by the French Libertas Americana medal; on the large cent, however, Miss Liberty faces to the right.
Because 1793 half cents represent the only year of this design type, a specimen is necessary to complete a type set of United States coins. The low mintage of 35,334 pieces, its status as a needed type coin, and its position as the first year of the half cent denomination have combined to make the piece both popular and expensive. Concerning the reverse of one variety (C-1), Roger S. Cohen noted that “this die becomes warped in the center so that HALF CENT is seldom visible on specimens in less than Fine condition.”
A reasonable expectation for the collector with a generous budget is Very Fine to Extremely Fine, though most known examples are in lesser grades, Good to Fine, often with lightly porous or irregular surfaces. Most 1793 half cents are a medium or light brown color, in contrast with those of 1794, which are nearly always dark brown or black. These color differences reflect the copper the Mint used in its formative years, which came from many sources — barrel hoops, melted-down guns, roofing material, and other wrought objects — lending a special charm and personality to early half cents and large cents.