1831 2nd Restrike, Rev Style of 1840 Proof

The Second Restrike of the 1831 half cent was produced even later than the First, using the original 1831 obverse die paired with a reverse die in the style of 1840, the Braided Hair design that Christian Gobrecht had introduced for the half cent in that year. The result is an even more obviously anachronistic coin: an 1831 Classic Head obverse mated with a reverse design that did not exist until nearly a decade later.

For the Mint officials who authorized these restrikes, the precise reverse die was secondary to the market demand for coins bearing the 1831 date. Collectors in the 1850s and 1860s wanted 1831 half cents. The Mint had an 1831 obverse die available. The only usable reverse dies on hand were from later years. The mismatch between obverse date and reverse style was either not noticed, not considered important, or, most likely, understood and accepted as the cost of meeting demand.

The Second Restrike is the rarest of the three 1831 proof varieties (Original, First Restrike, Second Restrike). Total surviving population is estimated in the teens to low twenties. Auction appearances are events that the early copper specialist community tracks closely, and pricing reflects the extreme scarcity. Any Second Restrike offered for sale should carry certification from a major grading service, along with provenance documentation where available, given both the rarity and the complexity of attributing the correct restrike variety.

For a collector, the three 1831 proof varieties represent different moments in the Mint's institutional history: the original production, an early restrike program, and a later restrike using whatever dies were available. Together they document a practice that shaped the market for early American coinage in ways that are still felt today.