J-177 1856 Half Cent Pattern - J-177 1856 1/2c Pattern, NGC PF63 CAC, R5. This outstanding 1856 Half Cent Pattern comes with the provenance of the Eric P. Newman Collection. The coin, struck from regular dies in copper-nickel, has subdued mint luster within its devices. The surfaces are a coppery brown with hints of green and gold. These colors attest to the coins originality. The surfaces are clean for the grade with no contact marks or hairlines worthy of individual description. The coin is well struck with full details on the centers of the stars, Libertys hair, and the leaves of the wreath. The CAC sticker confirms that the coin is a premium quality piece that fully deserves the assigned grade.

The Braided Hair half cents of 1840 to 1857 were struck in copper. In 1856 the mint began experimenting with copper-nickel for use in regular coinage. The 1856 Flying Eagle cent is a widely collected transitional pattern cent, which is listed in A Guide Book of United States Coins (The Red Book). The first Small Cents, the Flying Eagle of 1857 to 1858 and the Indian Cent of 1859 to 1864 were made from copper-nickel. Evidently its use was being considered for the half cent prior to its discontinuation as a denomination.

Christian Gobrecht designed the half cent. He used the coronet motif for his design. It shows a profile of Liberty facing left. Her hair is tied in the back with beads as two curls flow down her neck. On the coronet the word LIBERTY is inscribed. She is surrounded by thirteen six-pointed stars and the date, which is below the truncation. At the periphery are dentils on both sides of the coin. The reverse shows the denomination, HALF CENT, written on two lines, enclosed in a wreath of laurel, which is tied at the bottom with a ribbon. The wreath is surrounded by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Christian Gobrecht was the third Chief Engraver at the United States Mint. He was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1785. His father was a German immigrant, and his mother traced her ancestry to the early settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Gobrecht married Mary Hewes in 1818. One of his early positions was as an engraver of clocks in Baltimore. Later he went to Philadelphia where he became a banknote engraver. He invented a machine that allowed one to convert a three-dimensional medal into an illustration. This was an excellent job and Gobrecht was understandably reluctant to work for the Mint for less money than he was making at the engraving firm. In order to persuade him to leave, Mint Director Robert Patterson prevailed upon Chief Engraver William Kneass, who had had a stroke, to take less in salary so more money would be available to hire Gobrecht on a permanent basis. In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to Kneass. After Kneass stroke, Gobrecht did all the die and pattern work for the Mint. He became Chief Engraver in 1840 and served until his death in 1844. He was famous for his Liberty Seated motif, which was used for all denominations of silver coinage including the half-dime, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and silver dollar. He also designed the Liberty Head gold eagle, a motif that was also used on the half cent, the cent, the gold quarter eagle, and the gold half eagle. 

Eric P. Newman is a numismatist who has written works about early American coin and paper money. His collection was considered on the finest private collections of American coins and currency. He is the only living person to have owned all five 1913 Liberty Head nickels. Newman was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His interest in coins began at age seven when his grandfather gave him an 1859 Indian Head cent. He later earned a BS degree from MIT and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. After practicing law until 1943, he worked for the Edison Brothers Stores and became an executive vice president. He retired in 1987. While at MIT he became acquainted with E.H.R. Green, a wealthy coin collector. After Green died in 1936, Newman borrowed money to purchase some of his currency collection and the five 1913 Liberty Head nickels. In 2003 Newman and his wife, Linda, donated two million dollars to Washington University in St. Louis to establish the Newman Money Museum on the campus. It opened in 2006. Among his awards are the Archer M. Huntington Medal, which is the highest award of the American Numismatic Society, in 1978 and the Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society in 1991. The ANA inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1986 and named him Numismatist of the Year in 1996. In 2011 the ANS commissioned a bas relief portrait of Newman which was presented to him at the celebration of his 100th birthday.

In its population report as of June 2013, CAC shows 2 1856 J-177 half cent pattern pieces in PR63 condition with 4 better.