4 Different 1700-S US Federal Coins You Can Buy For Less Than $1,000

PCGS - Want to start or expand on a collection of United States coins minted in the 1700s? It's the type of goal that many numismatists shy away from because of the sheer cost of such an undertaking. And, when taking a gander at the PCGS Price Guide it's easy to see why this lofty but fascinating objective can be financially intimidating for so many collectors.

By and large all federal-era United States coins minted during the 1700s are rare, or at the very least considerably scarce. Of course, when one references "federal" U.S. coins from the 1700s, what they're really talking about are the official coins struck at the United States Mint from 1793 through 1799; for this purpose that does not count patterns, such as the 1792 Large Cent and Disme coinage, nor does it refer to any of the private tokens, medals, or patterns not produced by the United States Mint. Thus, the 18th-century coinage we examine here focuses on coins from seven production years; it should be noted that coinage from the first of those years (1793) hasn't reliably been obtainable by collectors in the retail market at a problem-free grade of G4 below the $1,000 price point since at least the early 1990s.

There are four different types of U.S. coins made during the 1700s that collectors should still be able to buy in a grade of G4 or better for less than $1,000. Coins of that period often bear individual characteristics that may affect pricing positively or negatively for a said specimen. The prices listed here corroborate with the PCGS Price Guide, which provides pricing based on typical examples of a given coin and is the basis for values referenced in this article.

1795 Liberty Cap Half Cent


Liberty Cap Half Cent, 1795 1/2C Plain Edge, No Pole, BN, PCGS MS66+BN

The Liberty Cap motif represents the first major design type for the Half Cent denomination, though there are varieties among this series that symbolize distinct subtypes and other interesting wrinkles for collectors. Such is the case with the 1795 Half Cent, which saw many highly collectible varieties involving the edge of the coin as well as major design elements, including the pole belonging to the Liberty cap on the obverse. A total mintage of 139,690 pieces was produced in 1795, and all of these Half Cents are now highly scarce. However, they can still be obtained in grades up to VG8 for less than $1,000, with a base price of around $600 for examples in G4.

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