Half-Cent Pieces

Of all of the pieces of uncommon historical U.S. coins, the half-cent pieces had, by far, the longest lifespan. The half cent was first minted in 1793 and was being minted regularly until 1857, when inflation made the coin obsolete. The half cent is larger in diameter and weight than a modern penny. (This is because at this point in American history, the value of the metal in coins needed to equal their face value, or no one would accept them as actually being worth anything.)

The half-cent coin went through four distinct, but similar design periods: The Liberty Cap Half Cent (1793 to 1797), The Draped Bust Half Cent (1800 to 1808), the Classic Half Cent (1809 to 1837) and the Braided Hair Half Cent (1840 to 1857). Lady Liberty’s image adorns the obverse of each of these coins, but her appearance changed slightly for each of the different design periods. The images on the reverse of these coins are very similar, each having the words “half cent” encased in a wreath surrounded by the words “United States of America.”

Two-Cent Pieces

The short-lived two-cent piece is a favorite of modern coin collectors. It was introduced in 1864 to make up for the shortage of small change brought about by the economic strain created by the Civil War, but it proved greatly unpopular and was discontinued in 1873. The two-cent piece is very similar in overall size to the half-cent coin. The front of the coin displays shield below a banner baring the national motto (in God we trust), and the back has the words “2 Cents” bordered by a wreath and “United States of America.”

Three-Cent Pieces

The three-cent piece was first introduced in 1851 and lasted until 1889. The first version of the three-cent piece (1851 to 1873) contained a small amount of silver, and it was the lightest coin (4/5 of a gram) ever minted by the U.S. Mint. At only 14 mm in diameter, it is almost 4 mm smaller than the modern dime.

A shield inside a six-sided star is engraved on the obverse of the coin, while the reverse shows the Roman numeral III inside an ornamental C. A new, nickel-based three-cent piece was introduced in 1865. Both types of three-cent pieces were being minted simultaneously until 1873.

The nickel three-cent piece is slightly larger in diameter than a modern dime, and more than two times the size of the original, silver three-cent piece. Liberty is depicted on the front of the coin and a Roman numeral III inside a wreath is pictured on the back.

Twenty-Cent Pieces

Only minted for a total of four years between 1875 and 1878, the twenty-cent piece is the shortest lived of all historical U.S. coins. Fewer than one and a half million twenty-cent coins were minted overall.

The coin was composed of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. The twenty-cent piece is only 2 mm smaller than a quarter, and slightly more than a gram lighter. The visual design of the coin is almost exactly the same as the Liberty Seated Half-Dollar.