1796 1/2C No Pole, RB (Regular Strike)
Series: Liberty Cap Right Half Cents 1794-1797
PCGS MS67RB
WITH POLE/NO POLE COMPARISON
- PCGS #:
- 1031
- Designer:
- John Smith Gardner
- Edge:
- Plain
- Diameter:
- 23.50 millimeters
- Weight:
- 5.44 grams
- Mintage:
- 1,390
- Mint:
- Philadelphia
- Metal:
- Copper
- Auction Record:
- $506,000 • MS65 • 05-20-1996 • Bowers & Merena
Major Varieties
Rarity and Survival Estimates Learn More
| Survival Estimate | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 1 |
| 60 or Better | 1 |
| 65 or Better | 1 |
| Numismatic Rarity | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | R-10.0 |
| 60 or Better | R-10.0 |
| 65 or Better | R-10.0 |
| Relative Rarity By Type All Specs in this Type | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 1 / 10 TIE |
| 60 or Better | 1 / 10 TIE |
| 65 or Better | 1 / 10 TIE |
| Relative Rarity By Series All Specs in this Series | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 1 / 12 TIE |
| 60 or Better | 1 / 12 TIE |
| 65 or Better | 1 / 12 TIE |
Condition Census What Is This?
|
#1 MS67RB PCGS grade
Richard Boswell Winsor Collection - S.H. & H. Chapman 12/1895:1012, $300 - George H. Earle, Jr. Collection - Henry Chapman 6/1912:3609, $400 - Colonel James W. Ellsworth Collection - Knoedler Galleries, sold privately in 1923 - Wayte Raymond and John Work Garrett, sold privately - William C. Atwater Collection - B. Max Mehl 6/1946:129, $1,125 - Louis Eliasberg Sr. Collection - Bowers & Merena 5/1996:407, $506,000 - Spectrum Numismatics, sold privately in 12/2002 - D. Brent Pogue Collection - Stack's/Bowers 2/2016:3008, $763,750
|
Less than thirty 1796 No Pole Half Cents are known but, of those, three are Uncirculated. The finest example is the PCGS MS67 Red and Brown from the Eliasberg collection, which sold in 1996 for a record $506,000. That particular example is a member of the Million Dollar Coin ClubTM.
This was the only use of the obverse die. On this die, the engraver forgot to add the pole that normally supported the Liberty Cap. There is no trace whatsoever of the pole, either on the lower right side of the coin just above Liberty's bust or even on the short section in the cap behind Liberty's head. Most examples show a horizontal crack that bisects the obverse.
The reverse die of this variety was also used on:
1796 Cohen 2 (With Pole)
The incredible MS67RB from the Louis Eliasberg collection is one of the great copper coins of all-time. This coin is the only 1796 no pole half cent I've ever seen that has any Red color. And I only know of one other 1796 no pole in mint state condition, a PCGS grade MS62BN. The MS67RB sold at the Elisberg sale in 1996 for $506,000. What a coin!
Of the four uncirculated coins known one stands out as the finest for two reasons, its Red Brown color and is almost flawless surfaces. PCGS grades this coin as MS67 Red-Brown. This coin was last sold publicly at the Bowers & Merena 1996 Eliasberg Collection sale where it brought the record price for a Half Cent of $506,000. This coin would easily sell for over a million dollars today, in 2008 a fine15+ sold for $345,000.
The next finest was graded MS64 Brown when publicly sold for the first time at the Stack’s 1999 Sale of the John Whitney Walter Collection. The other two uncirculated No Pole 1796 Half Cents are estimated to be MS62 Brown coins.