1806
In 1806, Congress passed the Nonimportation Act, which prohibited the purchase of British goods. This was in response to British interference with United States ships. The act was soon suspended (thank goodness, or the Mint might not have been able to get planchets from Boulton and we may not have had large or half cents dated 1807 - 1814). This year, Aaron Burr made plans to establish an independent republic in the "southwest," where Mississippi and Alabama are today. Zebulon Pike started exploring the real southwest and made it as far as New Mexico. On this expedition, he first saw the mountain, Pike's Peak, that would be named for him. Noah Webster published his first dictionary this year. In it, he established i and j and v and u as separate letters.
In Europe, Napoleon dismantled the Holy Roman Empire and created the Confederation of the Rhine, a group of German states. Prussia declared war on France and promptly lost several battles. Napoleon occupied Berlin and closed all continental ports to British ships. F.W.A. Sertuerner, a German chemist extracts morphine from a plant. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" was published in Rhymes for the Nursery by Ann and Jean Taylor.
The mint reported striking and delivering 348,000 cents this year. Some of these were undoubtedly dated 1803, 1804, and 1805. Only one variety of cent (S-270) was struck this year. This variety used the same reverse as 1805 S-268 and S-269 and could not have lasted for 400,000+ strikes. A total of 356,000 half cents were delivered in 1806. This number undoubtedly includes half cents dated 1804 and 1805. Four varieties of half cents, C-1 through C-4, were dated this year. Half cents dated 1806 were probably delivered in 1807.
The best coins from this year in the National Numismatic Collection include C-4 (3), C-4 (4), and S- 270 (2).