½ Cent "1⁄200 Dollar Liberty Cap, Head Facing Right, Half Cent" · “1⁄200 Dollar Liberty Cap, Head Facing Right, Half Cent”

The Liberty Cap Half Cent — America's Half-Penny, Facing Right

In the 1790s the United States minted a coin worth one two-hundredth of a dollar — the lowest denomination the country would ever strike. It was made for the poorest buyer at the smallest counter. Most wore out and vanished. The survivors, hand-cut one die at a time in a fever-stricken Philadelphia mint, are now among the most prized copper coins in America.