1795 Half Cent
Image by Elton Smith
It was a very young mint in Philadelphia that made this coin. George Washington was in his second term as president. John Smith Gardner engraved the die from which this coin was struck, using the letter I instead of a 1 in the date. Copper was scarce at this time. In January 1796, Washington issued a proclamation reducing the weight of half cents and other coins. Because of the reduced weight, the edge lettering (TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR) was dropped. This particular coin has a lettered edge and was minted before the change. There were approximately 14,800 of this variety made. Minting of 1795 half cents continued until around June of 1796.
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