1811
This year, General William Henry Harrison defeated the Indians under Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippecanoe and an earthquake shook the Ohio-Mississippi River valleys. Centered in Madrid, MO, it changed the course of both rivers, sometime drastically. The first steamboat to sail down the Mississippi begins its journey and reached New Orleans in January 1812. Construction began on the Cumberland Road this year.
The British seized the island of Java and continue to win battles in Spain. Paraguay declared its independence. English author Jane Austen anonymously published Sense and Sensibility, where she portrayed every day life realistically. Amadeo Avogadro formulates "Avogadro's Number."
The Mint ran out of cent planchets in March. The remaining half cent planchets were then struck into coins. No more cent planchets would arrive until May 1812. Half cent planchets were not ordered again until 1825. Only 218,025 cents were delivered this year and it is probable some were dated 1810. Only 63,140 half cents, all dated 1811, were issued this year. Two different varieties are known for both large (S-286 and S-287) and half (C-1 and C-2) cents dated 1811.
The best coins for this date in the National Numismatic Collection are C-1 (2) and S-287 (1).
HALF CENTS CENTS