1841 1/2C Original, BN PR65BN 认证号30451323, PCGS号1254

Ron Guth

The Original 1841 Half Cent is the most common of the Proof-only Half Cents from the 1840s.  The same is true of the 1841 Large Cents.  Why this situation exists is uncertain, nor can anyone explain the unexpected popularity of the copper coins while the silver and gold coins (with the exception of the 1841 Quarter Eagle) were essentially ignored.  Perhaps as many as 30 Original 1841 Half Cents exist, most with Brown color, a few with Red-Brown colorations, and only a couple in full Red condition. 

All 1841 Half Cents show a die crack running in an arc from the rim above the second star, through the third through sixth stars, then to the rim above the seventh star.  The die crack changes little between the Originals and Restrikes, and David Akers agreed in the Pittman catalog that the crack is just as strong on the Originals as on the Restrikes.