Years
Designer
Christian Gobrecht
Composition
100% copper
Diameter
27.5 mm
Mass
10.89 g
Thickness
2.2 mm
Edge
Plain
Mints
Philadelphia
Metal
Copper
Design
Coronet Liberty with braided hair; reverse UNITED STATES OF AMERICA wreath around ONE CENT. Late dates are often found with strong strikes and original red color in mint state.
History
These are the last of the 'large cents' — coins the size of a half dollar that filled American pockets for sixty years. Rising copper prices and public complaints about bulk ended the type in 1857. Mid-century America was laying railroads, fighting Mexico, and staggering toward civil war; these cents bought newspapers and streetcar fares. Newcomb die varieties are a specialist field. Original mint red on an 1850s cent is a condition rarity.
Key dates
scarce
19 issues