| Country: | United States |
| Denomination: | Liberty Cap half cent |
| Value: | 0.005 US Dollar |
| Mass: | 1793–1795; 6.74 g 1796–1797; 5.44 |
| Diameter: | 23.5 |
| Edge: | plain, lettered, or gripped |
| Composition: | pure copper |
| Years Of Minting: | 1793–1797 |
| Obverse: | File:1793 half cent obv.jpg |
| Obverse Design: | Liberty, facing left, with a Liberty cap on a pole behind her |
| Obverse Designer: | Unknown (possibly Henry Voigt, Joseph Wright, or Adam Eckfeldt) |
| Obverse Design Date: | 1793 |
| Obverse2: | File:1794 half cent obv.jpg |
| Obverse2 Design: | Liberty, facing right, with a Liberty cap on a pole behind her |
| Obverse2 Designer: | Robert Scot |
| Obverse2 Design Date: | 1794 |
| Reverse: | File:1793 half cent rev.jpg |
| Reverse Design: | Wreath with strings of berries |
| Reverse Designer: | Unknown |
| Reverse Design Date: | 1793 |
| Reverse2: | File:1794 half cent rev.jpg |
| Reverse2 Design: | Wreath with single berries |
| Reverse2 Designer: | Unknown |
| Reverse2 Design Date: | 1794 |
The Liberty Cap half cent was the first half cent coin produced by the United States Mint. It was issued from 1793 until 1797.[1] [2] [3]
The Liberty Cap half cent was among the first coins produced by the Philadelphia Mint, with the only other coins produced by the Mint in 1793 were the Chain, Wreath, and Liberty Cap large cents.[4] [5] Production of the half cent was temporarily suspended in 1797, but resumed in 1800 with a new design.
The obverse of the Liberty Cap half cent originally featured a bust of Liberty facing left, with flowing hair and a Liberty cap on a pole behind her. In 1794, the design was flipped so that Liberty faced right.[6]
The reverse featured a wreath that was similar to that of the Wreath cent.
The 1793 half cent was engraved by Henry Voigt, although it is not known if he was the original designer. The "Liberty facing right" coins were designed and engraved by Robert Scot.