1804
This year, an American expedition under Stephen Decatur entered the harbor at Tripoli and destroyed the US Frigate Philadelphia, which had been captured. Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton duel each other, Hamilton dies and Burr's political career is ended. Thomas Jefferson is reelected President. In Europe, Napoleon is crowned Emperor before the Pope and Spain declares war on England. Now nearly deaf, Beethoven composes Symphony #3 in E Flat Major and Piano Sonata in F Major, two of his greatest works. Bananas were first imported from Cuba and Friedrich William Bessel, a German astronomer, first calculated the orbit of Halley's comet. Laws in France were codified, which had an enormous impact on laws throughout Europe and Latin America.
The mint reported striking and delivering 756,838 cents this year. The vast majority of these were dated 1803. The general consensus is that cents dated 1804 were struck in December, 1804 and delivered on the 31st. This delivery consisted of 96,500 pieces. A total of 1,055,312 half cents were struck and delivered in 1804. The earliest were probably dated 1803 (by now, a common Mint practice). It is estimated that between 1.6 and 1.7 million half cents dated 1804 were struck through June of 1805.
Only one variety is known for 1804 large cents (S-266). There are thirteen half cent varieties for the year, C-1 through C-13. The best coins in the National Numismatic Collection are C-12 and the Restrike.
Half Cents
Large Cents