Ron Guth:
The 1854 Half Cent has the fourth highest mintage of the Braided Hair series. At just over 55,000 pieces, the 1854 Half Cent is nearly tied with the 1855 and is not much higher than the scarcest dates in the series (the 1857 holds that position with a mintage of 35,180). The 1854 Half Cent can be found in most grades with relative ease. Mint State examples are reasonably common, mostly in Brown and usually in MS63. Gems are scarce and only two examples have been graded MS66 by PCGS, with none finer. Red-Brown examples make up a fair percentage of the Mint State survivors and are usually seen in MS-64. Full Red 1854 Half Cents, like most dates in the series, are very scarce.
Only one die variety is known for this year.