1832 Half Cent - 1832 C PCGS MS62 BN, CAC. Here is a lovely Mint State, light brown Classic Head 1832 Half Cent that has original luster within its devices. The surfaces are hard, clean and original. The minute abrasion marks are easily tolerated at this grade level with none requiring individual description. The strike is strong with full details on the centers of the stars, Libertys hair, the leaves of the wreath, and the dentils and rims on both sides of the coin. The CAC sticker indicates that this is a premium quality piece that fully merits the grade assigned.

John Reich designed the Classic Head half cent. It was minted from 1808 to 1814. The design shows a curly headed Liberty wearing a LIBERTY inscribed head band in profile, facing left. Seven six-pointed stars are to the left and six are to the right with the date below the truncation. The reverse has a closed wreath of laurel tied with a ribbon. Within the wreath is the denomination HALF CENT written on two lines with a center dot and a horizontal line below. Surrounding the wreath is the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Dentils are at the periphery of both sides.

John Reich, a skilled engraver, was born in Bavaria and came to the United States around 1800. In order to finance his passage, he sold himself into servitude. President Thomas Jefferson recommended that Reich be hired as an engraver at the Mint in 1801. When he was serving in Washingtons Cabinet, Jefferson was in charge of the Mint as Secretary of State. While in France, Jefferson developed a working knowledge of the minting process. Reich was hired for other duties, but he eventually became an engraver. He had a superb eye for the complicated aesthetics of coin engraving. At this time his freedom was purchased by an unknown mint official. Although Chief Engraver Robert Scot designed most of the coins at the mint since 1794, it was said that Reich had much more talent and ability than Scot.

In 1807, Reich was promoted to the position of Assistant or Second Engraver by Robert Patterson, the new Mint Director. Jefferson had urged Patterson to make this promotion because Scots eyesight was failing him. The promotion was timely because Reich was considering returning to Europe out of boredom with the menial tasks he had been assigned. Immediately Patterson assigned Reich the task of redesigning the nations coinage. He began with the half eagle and the half dollar, the two most important coins for commerce.

After working for ten years as Assistant Engraver at the mint, Reich resigned in 1817. He had received no pay raise or promotion and little praise from Robert Scot. Scot remained the Chief Engraver until his death in 1823.

Record keeping in the Mints early years was fairly inaccurate. At the end of the eighteenth century Philadelphia had recovered from the British occupation and Revolutionary War. It was the second largest city in the English-speaking world, but it could do nothing to protect its citizens from the mosquito-borne epidemic of yellow fever. Its wealthy citizens went to the countryside to escape, and the poor grimly waited their fate. Of course these annual epidemics caused havoc with all manufacturing that required continuity, such as a coinage sequence. The Mint shut operations during the late summer and early fall every year. In addition to yellow fever, disorder at the Mint was also caused by chronic bullion shortages and coin dies that would wear out and had to be re-engraved because they were not taken out of production until they failed completely. Often dies were locked up and later taken out of storage without great attention and care. There was also a jealous Chief Engraver, Robert Scot, who was in his seventies and had failing eyesight.  

In its population report, CAC, as of June 2013, has confirmed 2 1832 Half Cents at the MSBN62 level.