U.S. COIN REFERENCE · Draped Bust half cent
Draped Bust half cents: dates, stems, and the Spiked Chin
A small change in the numeral or wreath can change the variety you are collecting.
By SalarsNet · Reviewed October 5, 2026
Two sides of an 1804 attribution
Draped Bust half cents run from 1800 to 1808, with gaps. For 1804, record whether the 4 has a crosslet and whether the reverse wreath has stems. The Spiked Chin is a named die feature with a projection at Liberty’s chin. Checking the reverse as well as the portrait prevents several distinct varieties from collapsing into one label.
Type references: PCGS Draped Bust Half Cent ↗
Copper surfaces and a tiny diagnostic
Take a full obverse photograph before a close-up of the chin or date. The larger view establishes where the feature sits; the close-up supplies its shape. Examine hair and wreath detail, then describe corrosion, tooling, and scratches independently. A raised feature that belongs to a die should fit the attribution’s other markers; a lone spot in a photograph does not establish the variety.
Type references: PCGS Draped Bust Half Cent ↗
An overdate can also need a reverse identity
The 1802/0 has reverse-of-1800 and reverse-of-1802 forms, and the older reverse is particularly scarce. The 1808/7 is another overdate candidate. Match the exact form before selecting sales: an ordinary date comparison does not answer the same collecting question as a rare die pairing.
Type references: PCGS Draped Bust 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.