1829 Classic Head Half Cent. C-1, the only known dies. Rarity-1. MS-66 BN (NGC). CAC. CMQ-X.

A beautiful coin, easily among the finest known from this early copper issue. Bathed in warm, even medium brown patina, the surfaces are predominantly smooth in appearance and approach perfection. Only upon close inspection wgill one discern an extremely faint carbon spot on the reverse; nestled within the upper left portion of the wreath it is easily overlooked. There are no marks or other blemishes to report. Frosty in texture and sharply struck, this is one of the finest 1829 half cents that we can ever recall offering, finer even than the D. Brent Pogue specimen that was certified MS-64 BN by PCGS. Outstanding! Manley Die State 1.0. The 1829 half cent represented an inflection point in the history of this denomination. Pauses punctuate the half cent's timeline, but rarely do they beget change. No half cents were struck between 1811 and 1825, but after the 14-year sabbatical, the coins looked about as they did before. After 1829, the half cent took a year off in 1830 and was retooled with essentially the same design. William Kneass' reworking took into account changes in technology, giving the coins that followed a squarer edge and a higher rim. Soft strikes became a thing of the past. This coin is the last of the old guard. After the half cent returned in 1831, its days as a workhorse copper for circulation would be largely behind it.

PCGS# 35267. NGC ID: 222X.

NGC Census: 4; 0 finer in this category. PCGS has not certified an 1829 finer than MS-65 in the BN category.

Ex: Jon Hanson (1/27/1967); Donald G. Partrick; Heritage's sale of the Donald G. Partrick Collection, April 2021 CSNS Signature Auction, lot 3709.

Estimate: $8000