What would a half cent buy in the early 1800's?

coin22lover

I've often wondered what the need for a half cent was back in the early 19th century. What could you actually BUY for that? Were things actually priced 5 and 1/2 cents, etc?

tbarreca

The poet Kahlil Gibran has a line that goes, "A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and Thou."

I figure that a half cent in its day would cover one of the first two, but probably not the third.

mrpotatoheadd

<< <i>Were things actually priced 5 and 1/2 cents, etc? >>

I don't know about back then, but just last week, I bought canned corn at the market which was priced at 34 1/2 cents/can.

holeinone1972

<< <i>

<< <i>Were things actually priced 5 and 1/2 cents, etc? >>

I don't know about back then, but just last week, I bought canned corn at the market which was priced at 34 1/2 cents/can. >>



Sounds like a great way to get half cents at face value. Just keep buying 1 can at a time.

PerryHall

The half cent in the early 1800's probably had the same purchasing power that a quarter has today.

STONE

<< <i>The half cent in the early 1800's probably had the same purchasing power that a quarter has today. >>


In other words a small pack of gum!

rld14

I remember reading, maybe in the Red Book (But don't quote me), that the Half Cent was created so that the poor wouldn't be cheated on their taxes or something to that effect, or perhaps that's why it came back later on.

crazyhounddog

I think this one will by more today , than in 1861. I just bought this one on the bay for less than $30.00 , book value about 5-6 hundred dollars. This is a halp penny, h/p. Pretty cool eh? I think back in 1861 you could go to the pub and hang one on with one of these...

ProofArtworkonCircs

Spanish American one real pieces were legal tender for 12 1/2 cents. The half cent was for change for one of these.

Musky1011

.005 X12.06

DaveG

"Fractional Money" by Neil Carothers discusses the use of the half cent and copper large cent in the early 19th century.

Basically, the coins only circulated in the larger cities and didn't have that much purchasing power (especially the half cent).

Very few items were priced at that level (most items were sold in bulk - the "penny" candy counter was introduced much later), even newspapers sold for about three cents. Stamps were a bit more expensive, until the early 1850's, when the three-cent rate was introduced.

mrpotatoheadd

<< <i>Sounds like a great way to get half cents at face value. Just keep buying 1 can at a time.

>>

If only it were so.

I'd guess the reason for the 1/2 cent pricing is so the store can make an extra 1/2 cent from everybody who only buys one can (or an odd number of cans, which would seem to me to be a silly choice) when they round up to the next whole cent. With the combination of a lot of products priced this way and a lot of individual transactions, it probably adds up to more than just a couple of bucks a week.

BillyKingsley

I would guess if you went in with a half cent today they would think you are crazy.

I actually have a modern cent that was cut in half (I found it that way). It would be kind of funny to try and spend that as a half cent for that can, LOL

TwoSides2aCoin

I wasn't there but my guess is that a half cent would buy at least twice now as it did back then.

CaptHenway

<< <i>Spanish American one real pieces were legal tender for 12 1/2 cents. The half cent was for change for one of these. >>



BINGO!

coinpictures

<< <i>Spanish American one real pieces were legal tender for 12 1/2 cents. The half cent was for change for one of these. >>



Yup. I've been told that by a number of different sources.

Swampboy

6 1/4¢ for a quart of vinegar in 1853