U.S. COIN REFERENCE · Classic Head half cent
Classic Head half cents: stars, gaps, and restrikes
Counting stars is useful here; filling every year in an album would invent coins.
By SalarsNet · Reviewed October 5, 2026
The years that belong in the set
Classic Head half cents began in 1809. No federal half cents were made in 1812–1824, 1827, or 1830. A privately issued 1837 half-cent token belongs to a different collecting category. On an 1828 coin, count the obverse stars: both twelve-star and thirteen-star varieties are recognized.
Type references: PCGS Classic Head Half Cent ↗
A date on a restrike is not its production year
The 1811 private restrike and later 1831 and 1836 restrikes require their own die references. The status of the 1831 as circulation coinage is disputed in the specialist literature. Keep that disagreement attached to the issue rather than assigning business strike from an album heading or from a worn appearance.
Type references: PCGS Classic Head Half Cent ↗
Assess the portrait and the record together
Inspect Liberty’s hair, band, cheek, and wreath, then note pits and unnatural surface smoothing. For the 1809 date, Circle in 0 and 9 over inverted 9 are candidates to investigate. Compare the same date, star count, and original/restrike attribution; exclude a proof sale if the specimen’s strike remains unresolved.
Type references: PCGS Classic Head Half Cent ↗
Selected reviewed issue records
These catalog standards describe the named issue, not a measured specimen. The selected records below do not cover every date, mint, strike, or die variety. Reported production is labeled separately from established mintage. Unknown standards and mintage remain visible; survival estimates and certified populations are separate research questions.
No issue-level specification or mintage records are published for this category yet. Verify the exact date, mint, strike, metal, and subtype in its reference before using a numerical standard.
References and review
Reference reviewed October 5, 2026. Historical facts and catalog standards need to match the exact issue; price comparisons should be researched at the time of valuation.