An Ode To Odd US Coin Denominations

PCGS - Half Cents, Two Cents, Three Cents, and Twenty Cents. They're some of the many obsolete coins about which virtually all non-collectors know nothing. Yet, they are among the most colorful of United States coins, and their relative affordability means many collectors can incorporate them into their collections. The body of United States Odd Denomination coinage generally includes five long-retired types, including Half Cents (1793-1857), Two Cents (1864-1873), Three Cent Nickels (1865-1889), Three Cent Silvers (1851-1873), and Twenty Cent Pieces (1875-1878).

The complexity of an Odd Denomination type set can vary contingent on the whims of the collector, though a basic version of this collection generally contains one example of each of the five denominations listed above. As with any type set, grade and date are the wildcard factors in determining how easy - or challenging - the completion of this set will be. A collector can complete a five-coin version of an Odd Denomination set for as little as $350 to $400, while someone who vies for uncirculated examples of the scarcer dates may as well set aside five figures for the objective.

Entire volumes can be easily written about any one of the five denominations examined here, all coins that have dedicated collector followings in their own rights. Still, many collectors combine the Two Cent and Three Cent Pieces under a common collecting goal, while the short-lived Twenty Cent Piece is often lumped into a larger collection of quarter dollar coinage. Meanwhile, the Half Cent offers enough challenge on its own merits to be collected as an individual pursuit. The PCGS Set Registry reflects these common collecting strategies.

Half Cents are a Handful
The Half Cent was minted for the first 64 years of official federal coinage, and it was the nation's lowest-mintage coin until inflation rendered the coin, valued at one two-hundredth of a dollar, all but economically irrelevant. Yet, by the time the Half Cent rolled off United States Mint presses for the last time in 1857, American coin collectors were already paying attention to these classic coppers, roughly the size of a modern quarter-dollar coinage.


Braided Hair Half Cent, 1857 1/2C, BN, PCGS MS65+BN

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