Liberty Cap half cent

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]

Liberty Cap half cent

United States
Value	0.005 US Dollar
Mass	1793–1795; 6.74 g 1796–1797; 5.44 g
Diameter	23.5 mm
Edge	plain, lettered, or gripped
Composition	pure copper
Years of minting	1793–1797
Obverse
Design	Liberty, facing left, with a Liberty cap on a pole behind her
Designer	Unknown (possibly Henry Voigt, Joseph Wright, or Adam Eckfeldt)
Design date	1793
Design	Liberty, facing right, with a Liberty cap on a pole behind her
Designer	Robert Scot
Design date	1794
Reverse
Design	Wreath with strings of berries
Designer	Unknown
Design date	1793
Design	Wreath with single berries
Designer	Unknown
Design date	1794

History

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.^[2]

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.^[1] 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.^[1]

Designers

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.^[1]