1801 Draped Bust Half Dime
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 27,760 made
- Mintage
- 27,760
- Metal
- 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper
- Weight
- 1.35 g
- Diameter
- 16.5 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1801 Draped Bust Half Dime worth?
Few coins in the series are harder to find. Even a worn 1801 sells well above face value. The flip side is that counterfeits and altered dates are common, so authentication matters.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1801 Draped Bust Half Dime rare?
- Yes. Only 27,760 were made, 4th lowest of the 7 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1801 Draped Bust Half Dime silver?
- Yes. It's 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper and holds 0.0387 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1801 Draped Bust Half Dime?
- No mint mark. Struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1801 are scarcer?
- The 1802 at 3,060, the 1796 at 10,230, the 1805 at 15,600. So the 1801 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1801 Draped Bust Half Dime coins were made?
- 27,760.
What to check on your 1801
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. Look at the hair and drapery on the obverse and the eagle's wings and shield on the reverse. Weak strikes are common.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1801
Philadelphia made 27,760 in 1801, down from 40,000 in 1800. The next year it made 3,060 (1802).
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1801 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1803 (37,850) and the 1800 (40,000).
Philadelphia struck the Draped Bust Half Dime in 7 issues between 1796 and 1805. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1802 (3,060). Within the 1800s it's 3rd smallest of 5, between the 1805 (15,600) and the 1803 (37,850).
The heraldic eagle arrives (1798 to 1801)
No half dimes were struck in 1798 or 1799. When production resumed in 1800 the reverse showed the heraldic eagle. A shield covers its body and it holds an olive branch and arrows. A ribbon in its beak reads E PLURIBUS UNUM, with thirteen stars and a line of clouds above its head. There is still no denomination. The same heraldic eagle appeared on the dime and dollar from 1798 and later on the half dollar and quarter.
Philadelphia struck 40,000 half dimes in 1800, the largest total of the heraldic eagle years. The LIBEKTY variety comes from a damaged R punch with part of the letter missing, so LIBERTY seems to read LIBEKTY. In 1801 the Mint struck 27,760. Both dates are scarce today but available to collectors willing to look. The 1800 LIBEKTY is popular because the odd letter is easy to see without a magnifier.
Half dimes circulated hard and were often lost or melted, so most survivors are worn. Check the date and the reverse first, then the letters of LIBERTY. Strike weakness on the stars and clouds is normal for the period. Watch for holes, repairs and cleaning, which are common on such small coins. Logan-McCloskey numbers are used to attribute the dies. Like every early half dime, these coins come only from Philadelphia and carry no mint mark.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces right with her hair gathered by a ribbon at the back of her head, curls falling to her shoulder and drapery across her bust. LIBERTY is at the top and the date below, with stars on each side: fifteen in 1796, fifteen, sixteen or thirteen in 1797 and thirteen from 1800. Half dimes of 1796 and 1797 have a small eagle standing on clouds inside an open wreath. From 1800 the reverse shows the heraldic eagle with a shield on its breast, olive branch and arrows in its claws, a ribbon reading E PLURIBUS UNUM and thirteen stars beneath a band of clouds. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA runs around the edge. The coin is about 16.5 millimeters across, with a reeded edge, no mint mark and no denomination.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Draped Bust Half Dime (1796–1805) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1801 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 27,760 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper |
| Weight | 1.35 grams |
| Diameter | 16.5 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0387 troy oz (1.205 g) |
| Designer | Robert Scot |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.