1845
Florida became the 27th state this year, Texas was annexed to the United States (against the wishes of Mexico) and became the 28th state, and "Scientific American" magazine was founded. Congress set presidential; election day in the first week of November, the United States Naval Academy was established at Annapolis, MD, and Edgar Allen Poe published The Raven and Other Poems.
This year, Dumas published The Count of Monte Cristo, Scottish artists Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson start producing calotype (photographic) portraits, and leukemia was first described by the German pathologist Rudolf Virchow. The potato crop failed in Ireland and a fire in a theater in Canton, China left 1670 people dead.
The mint struck and delivered 3,894,804 large cents this year. Fifteen varieties are known (N 1 – N 15), with the N 14 being proofs only. Half cents dated 1845 were struck only as proofs. There is no record of how many were struck. Restrikes of these coins were made in the late 1850’s and early 1860’s. Restrikes come with either large or small berries on the reverse.
The nicest coins for this year include C 1 and N 14.
HALF CENT
LARGE CENT