Half Cent, Massachusetts, United States 1787

Half Cent, Massachusetts, United States 1787

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Description
In the earliest years of the United States, it was common practice for each state to issue its own coins. In 1787 and 1788, Massachusetts issued copper half-cents featuring an American Indian on the obverse, and a heraldic eagle on the reverse. These coins were among the first US coins to bear the word “cent,” a denomination defined as one one-hundredth of a Spanish dollar.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
Coin
Date made
1787
place made
United States: Massachusetts
place of issue
United States: Massachusetts
Physical Description
copper (overall metal)
0 (overall die axis)
0 (overall die axis measurement)
struck (overall production method)
Measurements
overall:.15 cm x 2.4 cm; 1/16 in x 15/16 in
ID Number
1984.1046.0108
catalog number
1984.1046.0108
accession number
1984.1046
See more items in
Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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