1793 – 1857
From 1793 through 1857 the US cent was much larger than what we are accustomed to today. These cents ranged from 27 mm to 29 mm in diameter, quite large when compared to the modern Lincoln Cent which is only 19 mm in diameter.
Different designs were used for US Large Cents:
1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent ~ (chain reverse)
This was actually the first time that the Federal Government minted a coin using its own equipment and facilities. Only 36,103 Flowing Hair Large Cents were struck with the chain reverse. The fact that these coins were minted in such low numbers along with it being struck for only 1 year make this one of the rarest US coins for collectors. Depending upon the condition an example of this large cent can be worth anywhere from several thousand dollars to half a million dollars!
1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent ~ (wreath reverse)
Because of ridicule and pressure over the chain reverse design being reminiscent of slavery the coin was redesigned later in 1793. Adam Eckfeldt made changes to the obverse as well as the reverse. Lady Liberty was given longer hair and the chain was replaced by a wreath. Around 63,000 Flowing Hair Large Cents were struck with the wreath reverse.
1793 – 1796 Liberty Cap Large Cent
1793 saw some major changes to the design of the Large Cent. Joseph Wright redesigned the Large Cent once again and added a cap to Lady Liberty and changed the wreath on the reverse to a laurel wreath. Over the next three years the coins designed was modified several other times so there are many different varieties available to collectors, but all are relatively rare.
1796 – 1807 Draped Bust Large Cent
In 1796 Robert Scot was asked to redesign the entire US coinage. Scot’s design featured bust of Lady Liberty with a drapery across her neckline and a ribbon in her hair. An olive wreath representing peace was added to the reverse. Throughout 1796 to 1807 several modifications were made to the design.
1808 – 1814 Classic Head Large Cent
In 1808 John Reich was appointed to redesign all US coins. For the Large Cent he depicted Lady Liberty wearing a fillet. The Classic Head Large Cent was struck using a more pure copper than previous coins and as a result was much more prone to damage by wear and corrosion. This contributes to the rarity of specimens in high grade.
1816 – 1857 Coronet Large Cent
There were two major designs for the Coronet Large Cent:
1816 – 1839 Matron Head Coronet Large Cent
Lady Liberty was enlarged and surrounded with stars around the edge.
1839 -1857 Braided Hair Coronet Large Cent
In 1839 the Coronet Large Cent was redesigned in an attempt to make Lady Liberty look slimmer and younger.
Large Cent Mintage Numbers
| 1793 Chain AMERICA – 36,103 1793 Wreath Vine & Bars Edge – 63,353 1793 Liberty Cap – 11,056 1794 Head of 1794 – 918,521 1794 Starred Reverse – 501,500 1795 – – – 37,000 1796 – – – 109,825 1796 Reverse of 1797 – 363,375 1797 – – – 897,510 1798 – – – 1,841,745 1800 – – – 2,822,175 1801 – – – 1,362,837 1802 – – – 3,435,100 1803 – – – 3,131,691 1804 – – – 96,500 1805 – – – 941,116 1806 – – – 348,000 1807 – – – 829,221 1808 – – – 1,007,000 1809 – – – 222, 867 1810 – – – 1,458,500 1811 – – – 218,025 |
1812 – – – 1,075,500 1813 – – – 418,000 1814 – – – 357,830 1816 – – – 2,820,982 1817 – – – 3,948,400 1818 – – – 3,167,000 1819 – – – 2,671,000 1820 – – – 4,407,550 1821 – – – 389,000 1822 – – – 2,072,339 1824 – – – 1,262,000 1825 – – – 1,461,100 1826 – – – 1,517,425 1827 – – – 2,357,732 1828 – – – 2,260,624 1829 – – – 1,414,500 1830 – – – 1,711,500 1831 – – – 3,359,260 1832 – – – 2,362,000 1833 – – – 2,739,000 1834 – – – 1,855,100 1835 – – – 3,878,400 |
1836 – – – 2,111,000 1837 – – – 5,558,300 1838 – – – 6,370,200 1839 – – – 3,128,661 1840 – – – 2,462,700 1841 – – – 1,597,367 1842 – – – 2,383,390 1843 – – – 2,425,342 1844 – – – 2,398,752 1845 – – – 3,894,804 1846 – – – 4,120,800 1847 – – – 6,183,669 1848 – – – 6,415,799 1849 – – – 4,178,500 1850 – – – 4,426,844 1851 – – – 9,889,707 1852 – – – 5,063,094 1853 – – – 6,641,131 1854 – – – 4,236,156 1855 – – – 1,574,829 1856 – – – 2,690,463 1857 – – – 333,456 |
Copyright CoinCollectorGuide.com 2009 all rights reserved. May not be republished in any form.