1795 Lettered Edge, Punctuated Date

The comma-shaped engraver's slip between the 1 and 7 in the date.

During the preparation of one 1795 obverse die, an engraver's tool slipped and left a small, comma-shaped mark between the digits 1 and 7 in the date. The result reads 1,795, a punctuated date that was never intended but survived into production because the Mint did not discard dies over minor imperfections. Every coin struck from that die carries the same tiny comma, and specialists have collected it as a distinct variety since the nineteenth century.

The mark is small but unmistakable under magnification. It sits in the field between the 1 and the 7, curving slightly like an actual comma. On well-struck examples in Fine or better condition, it is visible to the naked eye. On heavily worn coins, it can be difficult to confirm, which means positive identification often requires a loupe or, increasingly, third-party certification by a grading service that has confirmed the die attribution.

The Punctuated Date exists on Lettered Edge coins, placing it among the earlier, heavier 1795 half cents struck before the mid-year weight reduction. Combined with the relatively low survival rate for Lettered Edge coins generally, the Punctuated Date variety is genuinely scarce. It is not the rarest variety in the 1795 date (the No Pole variants carry comparable or greater premiums), but it is the most visually distinctive, because the feature that defines it is a positive addition to the die rather than the absence of an expected element.

Auction appearances are infrequent enough that a well-attributed example in original condition attracts specialist attention regardless of grade. The early American copper market rewards die varieties with clear visual diagnostics, and a comma in the date is about as clear as it gets.