1803
This year, Ohio became the 17th state, the United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana territory, and the Supreme Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional (Marbury vs. Madison). Lewis and Clark started their journey west to the Pacific Ocean and John James Audubon begins his first banding studies of American birds. In Europe, England resumes war with France and Napoleon establishes a Swiss Confederation with 19 cantons. New York City Hall isconstructed. This building is a classic example of Georgian architecture.
The mint reported striking and delivering 2,471,353 cents this year. Cents struck early in the year were dated 1802 and some of the cents struck in 1804 were dated 1803. No estimate of cents minted with this date is known. A total of 97,900 half cents were struck and delivered in 1803. The first delivery, of 5,900 half cents, were probably dated 1802. The other 92,000 struck during this year, and thousands more struck in 1804, bore the date 1803. Some half cents dated 1803 were also struck in 1805. No one has estimated how many half cents with this date were actually struck.
Twenty-four different varieties are known for 1802 large cents (S-243 through S-265 and NC-1). There are four one half cent varieties for the year, C-1 through C-4. The best coins in the National Numismatic Collection are C-3, S-255, and S-260 (2).
Half Cents
Large Cents