Draped Bust Large Cent (1796-1807)
Mint Mark Information

The Liberty Cap Large Cent was replaced by the Draped Bust design in 1796. Mint Engraver Robert Scot based the design on a drawing by famed artist Gilbert Stuart. By 1800, the Draped Bust theme was employed on all copper and silver US coins.

The early US Mint was plagued by poor equipment, shoddy materials, inexperience, and questionable workmanship. Nowhere was this more apparent than during the production of Draped Bust Large Cents.

The series is loaded with goofs and blunders. While this gives modern day numismatists lots of interesting varieties to study, at the time it almost led Congress to shut down the Mint and turn its operations over to private enterprise.

In 1816, a 17-year-old named Joseph J. Mickley became enthralled with idea of finding a cent minted in the year of his birth. As the years passed by with no luck in finding a 1799 Draped Bust Large Cent, he went on to become one of the first and best known collectors of United States coins.

Despite his many successes as a numismatist, Mickley never did acquire an example of the 1799 cent, a testament to the rarity of this date.

Draped Bust Large Cent Obverse

Draped Bust Large Cent
Reverse

The following table indicates there are no Mint Marks to be found on the Draped Bust Large Cent:

As is the case for all early United States copper coins (Half Cents and Large Cents), there are no Mint Marks to search for because all of them were coined at the Philadelphia Mint, which did not use the "P" Mint Mark until 1942. The coin photos at right were provided by courtesy of Goldberg Coins.

Unlike preceding Large Cent types, there were millions of Draped Bust Cents produced. During their run of 1796 to 1807, more than 16 million entered circulation. Most dates are fairly common. However, there are a couple of Draped Bust Cents that are indeed rare and have always led the way in steep price increases. They are the 1799 and 1804. Perhaps had Joseph Mickley had eBay, he may have fullfilled his lifelong quest to find a 1799 cent (see story above).

1799 Draped Bust Large Cent

1804 Draped Bust Large Cent