Classic Head Half Cent

John Reich held the position of Second Engraver under Robert Scot who was Chief Engraver at the U.S. Mint in the early 1800s. Reich came to America from Germany to flee the Napoleonic Wars. Robert Pattern was the Director of the U.S. Mint at that time and gave the talented Reich the responsibility of revamping the U.S. coins.

Reich designed the Classic Head half cent and he portrayed Liberty in a more reserved manner than the Draped Bust design. Liberty was given a narrow headband, which was criticized because only young males wore the band in ancient times in Greece as a prize awarded for winning athletic competitions. Reich received more criticism from people who thought the depiction of Liberty was made to represent Reich’s “fat mistress”.

Liberty faces left on the Classic Head half cent and the headband displays the word LIBERTY. A circle of beads follows along the rim and thirteen six point stars frame the portrait with seven on the left and six to the right. The date is below the portrait.

The reverse side of the Classic Head half cent features a dentilled rim and inside is a concentric circle that is formed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA which is split at the bottom by the ends of a laurel branch with berries that forms an inner wreath. At the center is HALF CENT with each word on a separate line with a dot between. There is a short line under CENT. All half cents such as this were produced at the mint in Philadelphia and carry no mint mark.

Every original 1831 proof half cent is very expensive. Coins are described as Brown (BN), or Red-Brown (RB) or Red (RD). The RB half cents are less common than the BN and the RD coins are the rarest. The most valuable dates include 1811 and 1831. There were very few proof examples minted of the Classic Head half cent. Some of the proofs are re strikes and all are rare and expensive.