Why did Classic Head Half Cents last so much longer than Classic Head Large Cents?

AnkurJ

Both had the same design, yet the classic head large cents only lasted for 7 years before being changed.
Anyone know?

LanLord

I've wondered this for years.

I've also wondered if Classic head coins were always classics or if they were considered modern crap when they first came out. Afterall, they were Classic heads!

Walkerguy21D

<< <i>I've also wondered if Classic head coins were always classics or if they were considered modern crap when they first came out. After all, they were Classic heads! >>


Humor aside, I do know they weren't always Classic Heads - a lot of early literature refers to them as Turban Heads. But apparently
this was a misnomer, and the name changed somewhere along the line.

CaptHenway

I suspect it was because the half cent was on hiatus when Scot redesigned the large cent in 1816. Had any half cent dies been needed from 1816 on, he would have made new hubs similar to the large cent. However, by the time the half cent resumed in 1825, Scot was dead so Kneass just used the old hubs.

AnkurJ

And while we are on the topic, why was planchet quality for the large cents so much worse than the half cents?

msch1man

I'm curious as well. The gold Classic Head design had a really short run as well.

COALPORTER

"a lot of early literature refers to them as Turban Heads"

That may not be PC these days ?

Walkerguy21D

<< <i>I suspect it was because the half cent was on hiatus when Scot redesigned the large cent in 1816. Had any half cent dies been needed from 1816 on, he would have made new hubs similar to the large cent. However, by the time the half cent resumed in 1825, Scot was dead so Kneass just used the old hubs. >>


Good answer! I was also wondering if because of limited demand for commerce, they didn't want to invest in new hubs or die steel when they
weren't minting many to begin with....they may have had unused, undated dies that they didn't want to waste?

BillJones

<< <i>And while we are on the topic, why was planchet quality for the large cents so much worse than the half cents? >>



For Classic Head half cents that were made from 1809 to 1811, the quality was that much better. The 1811 half cents planchets were especially bad. The Classic Head large cents were struck on imported planchets. The later Classic Head half cents staring from 1825 were made on domestically produced planchets, which were of higher quality. I believe it was Crocker Brothers that was in Tauton, Massachusetts.

The second point is that most of the surviving half cents from 1809 and 1810 are higher grade because the half cent was not popular and not used very much.

As for why the design was not updated, half cent expert the late Roger Cohen called them "the little half sisters." The half cent was a low priority coin. There was no push to update them.