Years
Designer
Joseph Wright / John Smith Gardner
Composition
100% copper
Diameter
29 mm
Mass
13.48 g
Thickness
2.2 mm
Edge
Vine and bars, or lettered
Mints
Philadelphia
Metal
Copper
Design
Liberty facing right with a pole-and-cap; reverse wreath. Head of 1793, 1794, and 1795 are distinct portraits. Beaded vs. denticled borders matter.
History
Wright died in the 1793 yellow-fever epidemic before finishing the type. 1793 Liberty Cap cents are rare; 1794 is the collectible date with dozens of Sheldon varieties (S-18 through S-72). These are the large cents of the whiskey rebellion and Jay’s Treaty.
Key dates
1793-P
stopper
4 issues