The popular and easily recognizable "Punctuated Date" variety, so named because of a long, comma-like die defect between the base of the digits 17 in the date. Additional die defects are present at the top of the letters I and R, as well as between the letters TY, in LIBERTY. This die is also used for the C-2b, C-3 and C-4 attributions. The reverse has a single leaf at the top of each branch in the wreath, four berries in each branch, the letters H in HALF and N in UNITED are repunched. There is a berry in the wreath at each of the ribbon bows, and a tiny jagged die break is present in the denticles outside the letters ED in UNITED. This die was also used for the C-1 and C-2b attributions.

Cohen-2a is the only die marriage that corresponds to the Lettered Edge, Punctuated Date Guide Book variety of the 1795 half cent.

One of the most popular and readily attributable die marriages in the entire Liberty Cap half cent series, the 1795 C-2a is the only variety that combines the Punctuated Date obverse with a lettered edge, and an example is required for completion of a Guide Book variety set of this denomination. The last Lettered Edge half cent produced, the 1795 C-2a, is also a historically significant variety.

Fortunately for advanced collectors, a few Mint State survivors are known from this die pairing, but we caution that they are rare in an absolute sense and seldom appear in the market outside of auction sales for significant cabinets.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the March 2020 Baltimore Auction, where it realized $43,200.