1856 1/2C, BN PCGS号1236

Ron Guth

The mintage of the 1856 Half Cent is slightly higher than the 1857 and nearly equal to that of the 1849 Large Date and 1850.  However, of these four coins, the 1856 is the easiest to acquire by a small margin.  Most examples show good striking details in the center of the coins, but the denticles are often weak.  Mint State examples have been graded by the hundreds, so they are not hard to find.  Most fall into the MS-62 and MS-63 grades and the populations drop off as the grade increasesa, eventually stopping at MS-66.  Red-Brown examples are readily obtainable, but full Red examples are very scarce.  This date offers excellent value for the collector of type coins.