1795 Liberty Cap Right Half Cent (Plain Edge, No Pole) Double Struck

Description

A double strike is visible on this 1795 Liberty Cap Right half cent of the Plain Edge, No Pole variety. A double strike occurs when a coin is struck twice by the dies, with the coin shifting slightly between strikes, resulting in doubled or overlapping design elements. The second strike is approximately 90% offcenter, showing only the rim design on the obverse and "AME" of "AMERICA" on the reverse. The Plain Edge, No Pole variety is one of the scarcer 1795 half cent varieties, and double strikes on early copper are extremely rare.. This 1795 Liberty Cap Right half cent, of the Plain Edge, No Pole sub-variety, exhibits a double strike — the planchet received a second blow from the dies before ejection, producing overlapping design impressions. The Plain Edge, No Pole variety is one of the most notable sub-types of the 1795 half cent, distinguished by the absence of the liberty pole behind Liberty's cap and by a plain rather than lettered edge. Double struck errors on early American copper are exceptionally rare, a consequence of both the low survival rate of 18th-century copper and the small number of errors that escaped quality control at the fledgling Philadelphia Mint. The Liberty Cap Right design — Liberty facing right, wearing a cap — was used on the half cent from 1793 through 1797. The 1795 issue was struck on hand-operated screw presses, where die alignment and ejection timing were far less consistent than in later mechanical press eras. A double struck 1795 half cent of this sub-variety commands serious attention from collectors of early American errors and early copper specialists.

Attribution History

• Discovered by NumisDexDealer