Braided Hair Half Cent

The Braided Hair Half Cent 1840-1857

The Braided Hair Half Cent was minted between 1840-1857. It was only minted at the Philadelphia mint. The obverse of the coin depicts Lady Liberty facing left, with 13 stars around her and the date below. On the reverse of the coin the words “half cent’ are in the middle with a wreath around the words and then around the wreath, it says “United States of America”. 1857 is the last year that the mint produced a half cent for circulation in the United States. While these coins are still legal tender they are not used in today’s economy because the denomination is so small. These coins are made out of copper.