1829 Classic Head Half Cent

The 1829 Classic Head Half Cent is extremely popular in the eyes of collectors. Not only is this one of the more beautiful pieces ever produced by the US Mint, it is now quite rare. Couple these two things and it should come as no surprise that collectors the world over will do anything to add one of these pieces to their collection.

On the coin’s obverse, the center of the face is dominated by the large image of the leftward-facing Lady Liberty. Lady Liberty is depicted in stunning detail, with the contours of her face and a band in her hair easily identifiable. Within the aforementioned band is an inscription which reads “Liberty.” To both the left and the right of the central image you will notice a total of 13 stars, representative of the 13 original colonies of the United States. Finally, the 1829 year of minting will be inscribed towards the bottom of the obverse.

On the coin’s reverse, you will notice that the center is marked by an inscription which reads “Half Cent,” or the coin’s face value. Surrounding the central inscription is an ornate wreath, bound together by a bow. There is an inscription on the outside of this wreath, one that reads “United States of America.” On the very outer edges of both the obverse and reverse sides, there are raised notches which give the coin some added texture.

Grading the 1829 Classic Head Half Cent

For collectors, the modern world of coin collecting is interesting because there are so many counterfeits being circulated. As such, collectors are especially wary about buying coins as aged as the 1829 Half Cent. Resulting from this is a desire to only buy coins that have been graded and certified as being authentic. The different grades as well as what they mean will be touched upon below.

Uncirculated: If a Half Cent is determined to be of Uncirculated grade, this means that the coin in question will have never made it out onto the open market. Thanks to this, these pieces will appear as pristine today as they did when they were first minted in 1829.

Extremely Fine: If a coin is determined to be of Extremely Fine grade, this means that the piece in question will be in almost perfect condition. Apart from a few very minor flaws, these coins will appear today as they did when they were first minted.

Fine: Fine is the grade given to coins that have been circulated for an extended period of time but are not so heavily damaged. While you will notice some light scratching and smoothing on the surfaces, none of the raised imagery nor lettering will have been worn away.

Good: Good is the grade given to coins that have been heavily circulated and damaged. The damage on these pieces will, at times, be so severe that even the surface imagery found on the coin will have been worn away almost entirely.

Pricing the 1829 Classic Head Half Cent

In terms of determining the price you might be asked to pay for an 1829 Classic Head Half Cent, this is something that most heavily relies on the condition the coin is in. Naturally, the coins with higher prices are going to be those coins that have been well-preserved over the years. In addition to the condition/grade, you will also need to pay attention to how many of them are on the market. The fewer coins there are for sale, the higher the price is going to be. Below, there is a chart aimed at giving you a better idea of what the value of a graded 1829 Classic Head Half Cent is.

Half Cents

DATE	GOOD	FINE	EXTREMELY FINE	UNCIRCULATED
1829 Classic Head	$50	$70	$140	$220
Source: Red Book