Liberty Head Large Cent pieces from the Post Revolutionary War period were produced by the United States Mint between 1793 until 1858 and are both interesting to study and collect. The late 18th Century specimens are most interesting to collectors because of their many design changes and extreme rarity with some designs produced for one year. The large cent pieces of early America can be distinguished by the ever-changing designs of the Liberty head that appear on the front of the coin. They also take their nickname of Large Cent pieces because of their relatively large size for a copper coin at about the size of a modern quarter. Its fascinating to review their many design changes because one can see that the United States Treasury was just gaining its footing and authority following the Revolutionary War and had difficulty settling on uniform coinage for the newly-free America. Much experimentation in coinage marks this period in U.S. history. Less centralized control of coinage because of the states’ suspicion of federalism led to much less stability in coin design.
The many designs of these historical large cent piece include the following from earliest designs to latest: (1793) featured the Flowing Hair design with either a chain displayed on the reverse or a wreath appearing on the reverse; (1793 - 1796) featured the Liberty Cap design; (1796 - 1807) featured the Draped Bust design; (1808 - 1814) featured the Classic Head design; (1816 - 1835) featured the Coronet design; (1835 - 1839) featured the Matron Head design; and (1835 - 18) featured the Braided Hair or late-date design. The large cent pieces varied in their diameter from 27 millimeters to 29 millimeters, larger than a modern day quarter. Though discontinued after one year and called “unattractive,” Henry Voight’s Flowing Hair design of the first liberty head cent in 1793 holds the distinction of being the first U.S. coin minted by the federal government using its own mint and equipment. Since only 36,103 of these specimens were minted, coins in poor condition can command prices as high as $3,000 whereas coins in the best condition can often command over $500,000. Though the earliest released are the most valuable to collectors, all have proved highly prized to generations of rare coin collectors. Please carefully review our specific product descriptions for availability, date of issues, and condition of the Liberty Head Large Cent pieces we have available in our cachet. When they are available, they move very quickly. Rest assured that our secure on-line ordering system will protect your order, and you’ll be enjoying your selection in only days.
Need some quick info on the different gold and silver bullion products available and how they help you preserve and grow your wealth?
Learn more about the wide variety of gold, silver, copper bullion and precious metals that you can buy for your portfolio.