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The
Large Cent
appeared in 1793, at nearly the same time as the
Half Cent. Together,
these coppers were the first coins released by the United States into general
circulation.
The initial type, Flowing Hair Chain Cent reverse (the first
coin pictured below), was not
well received by the public, as typified by the comments of a Boston newspaper
in March, 1793:
The American cents.... do not answer our expectations.
The chain on the reverse is but a bad omen for Liberty, and Liberty herself
appears to be in a fright.
Complaints such as the above led to the
replacement of the "bondage" chain with a wreath within a matter of weeks. Critics
continued to whine about the maniacal Liberty, however, so later in 1793, she
was replaced by a calmer Liberty. This time, she was
also seen with a Liberty cap,
similar to the Half Cent design, to celebrate the newfound freedom of the United
States.
Large cents were just that -- large. A dollar's worth of
the Large Cents of 1793-1794 weighed almost three pounds! In 1795, the
weight was reduced somewhat to adjust to the price of copper, but
nonetheless remained big and clunky.
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Flowing Hair Chain
Cent Specifications |
Diameter: |
Weight: |
Minted: |
Composition: |
Designer |
Edge: |
26.5 mm approx. |
13.48 g |
1793 |
1.000 |
Henry Voight |
Vine & Bars |
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Coin Photos courtesy of
Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA. |
The Act of February 21, 1857 specified a new type of smaller one cent
coin, which marked the end of both the Large Cent and Half Cent. The
public was encouraged to trade in their Large Cent coins for the smaller
Flying
Eagle cent. After 64 years of service to the U.S., the oversized copper
coins were at last retired.
In all, there are seven design types of Large Cents:
Flowing Hair Chain Reverse (shown above, 1793 only),
Flowing Hair Wreath
Reverse (1793 only), Liberty Cap (1793-1796),
Draped Bust (1796-1807),
Classic Head (1808-1814),
Liberty Head (1816-1839), and
Liberty Head Braided
Hair (1839-1857).
Large Cents
were minted every year from 1793 to 1857, with the exception of 1815, when the
War of 1812 interrupted the planchet supply from England. Most Large Cents were produced in
significant quantities, giving collectors of today a good supply to
select from. There are a few key dates that are rare and fought for by numismatists. If past trends
mean anything, and they usually do, these are the Large Cents most likely to
increase in value in the years ahead:
Key date Large Cents are offered for sale below. The left
hand side of each "Sales Box" is value trend data over a very long period of
time for a coin of that date in Good-4 condition. The percent annual
increase is computed for comparative purposes. The coin pictured
for sale in the right hand side is not necessarily the same condition coin
or same variety as that represented in the value trend analysis on left hand
side.
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1793
Lg Cent Lib Cap
Condition: G-4
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1799
Large Cent
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950:
$60.00
1980: $600
1995: $2250
2003: $2500
2007: $8000
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Value Trends
1950:
$65.00
1980: $475
1995: $1500
2003: $2000
2007: $3500
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
8.96%
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
7.24%
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1804
Large Cent
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950:
$50.00
1980: $275
1995: $600
2003: $825
2007: $1500
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
6.15%
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Half Cents
1793-1857 |
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Large Cents
1793-1857 |
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Flying Eagle Cents
1856-1858 |
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Indian Head Cents
1859-1909 |
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Lincoln Cents
1909-present |
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Two and Three
Cents 1851-1889 |
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Shield Nickels
1866-1883 |
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Liberty Nickels
1883-1913 |
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Buffalo Nickels
1913-1938 |
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Jefferson Nickels 1938-present |
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Early Half Dimes
1792-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 |
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Early Dimes
1796-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Dimes 1837-1891 |
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Barber Dimes
1892-1916 |
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Mercury Dimes
1916-1945 |
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Roosevelt Dimes 1946-present |
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Twenty Cents
1875-1878 |
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Early Quarters
1796-1838 |
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Seated Liberty Quarters 1838-1891 |
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Barber Quarters
1892-1916 |
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Standing Liberty
Quarters 1916-1930 |
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Washington
Quarters 1932-present |
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Early Half Dollars
1794-1839 |
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Seated Liberty
Half Dollars 1839-1891 |
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Barber Half
Dollars 1892-1915 |
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Walking Liberty
Half Dollars 1916-1947 |
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Franklin Half
Dollars 1948-1963 |
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Kennedy Half Dollars 1964-Present |
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Early Dollars
1794-1804 |
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Gobrecht Dollars 1836-1839 |
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Seated Liberty Dollars 1840-1873 |
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Trade Dollars
1873-1885 |
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Morgan Dollars
1878-1921 |
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Peace Dollars
1921-1935 |
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Eisenhower Dollars
1971-1978 |
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Anthony Dollars
1979-1981,1999 |
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Sacagawea Dollars
2000-present |
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Presidential Dollars
2007-present |
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Gold Dollars
1849-1889 |
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Early Quarter Eagles 1796-1834 |
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Classic Head Quarter Eagles 1834-1839 |
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Coronet Quarter
Eagles 1840-1907 |
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Indian Head
Quarter Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Three Dollar Gold
1854-1889 |
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Early Half Eagles
1795-1834 |
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Classic Head Half Eagles 1834-1838 |
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Coronet Half
Eagles 1839-1908 |
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Indian Head Half
Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Early Eagles
1795-1804 |
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Coronet Eagles
1838-1907 |
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Indian Head Eagles
1907-1933 |
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Coronet Double
Eagles 1849-1907 |
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St-Gaudens Double
Eagles 1907-1933 |
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This is a manually operated coining press,
very similar to those employed at the
Philadelphia Mint in 1793. The
first United States coin minted for circulation, the
Chain cent, came off a
press of this type. Steam power machinery didn't arrive at
the Mint until 1816, in the form of a roll machine. Up until then, all
energy was supplied by human and
horse muscles. Steam power coin presses were finally installed in
1836.
Public domain image. |
