#1 Flowing Hair Large Cent Buyer Las Vegas & Henderson

What Are Large Cents

In 1792 the new United States Congress passed the Coinage Act which authorized the building of the United States Mint and created a brand new currency: the U.S. dollar. Part of this experiment was in how the dollar broke down: in tenths, hundredths, and thousandths. The United States large cent was a coin with a face value of 1/100 of a United States dollar.

The first official mintage of the large cent was in 1793, and its production continued until 1857, when it was officially replaced by the modern-size one-cent coin (commonly called the penny). here is only one gap in this period of time. There were no large cents struck in 1815. This is because the U.S. imposed an embargo on British goods and so could not import the copper planchets the mint needed to make these coins during that particular year. The Philadelphia Mint produced all large cents; they were made of nearly pure copper, which contained twice the copper of the half cent. Many different designs were minted and many different designers were involved.
The coins in the series were:
  • Flowing Hair Obverse with Chain Reverse – was designed by Henry Voigt
  • Flowing Hair Obverse with Wreath Reverse – was designed by Adam Eckfeldt
  • Liberty Cap Cents – was designed by Joseph Wright
  • Draped Bust Cents – was designed by Robert Scot
  • Classic Head Cents – was designed by John Reich
  • Coronet Cents – Matron Head – was designed by Robert Scot
  • Coronet Cents – Braided Hair – was designed by Christian Gobrecht

History of Flowing Hair Large Cents and Liberty Cap Large Cents

The Flowing Hair cent of 1793, along with the half cent, were the first coins mass-produced by the United States Government on its own mint that is located in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Mint produced all large cents. The Mint had laws stating that the large cent should weigh exactly double what the half cents weighed. All the large cents were struck at the Philadelphia Mint until their discontinuation in 1857.

The Flowing Hair Large Cent with a chain reverse was the first one cent coin minted by the US Mint. The Flowing Hair Large Cent was minted for only one year. The chain reverse consists of an image of Lady Liberty with an unkempt hair on the obverse. The word LIBERTY is inscribed above the image and the year 1793 which stands for the year it was minted is inscribed below. The reverse contains the words ONE CENT inscribed in the middle of the chain encircling it. A denomination of 1/100 which is the value of the coin is inscribed directly down below. Near the rim are the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA struck in a circular fashion all the way around, similar to the chain.  This was designed by Henry Voigt, and was minted only in the year 1793 for it received much criticism from the people due of the unattractive design of the coin.

People disliked the previous obverse portrait, so the mint created yet another large cent in 1793. The Flowing Hair Large cent with a wreath reverse was minted in 1793. It also has the image of Lady Liberty with flowing hair. Inscribed above is the word LIBERTY and 1793, the date it was minted was struck below. This one has a leaf just above the date but underneath the image of Lady Liberty. There are 4 known “strawberry leaf varieties”, so there are coins struck with a different leaf. The reverse is similar to the chain reverse, however, the wreath is encircling the ONE CENT upwards. The denomination of 1/100 is inscribed near the bottom of the coin outside the wreath. The word UNITED STATES OF AMERICA inscribed in a semi-circle fashion around the wreath, near the rim. This was designed by Adam Eckfeldt and was only minted in 1793. Though he wreath design was received much better than the chain, dies broke easily because Eckfeldt hadn’t figured out how to fully harden them. In addition, the wild-eyed Lady Liberty hadn’t been changed from the original issue.

Rittenhouse was dissatisfied with Eckfeldt’s designs, and with the criticism of the previous designs of Flowing Hair large cents, he hired Joseph Wright to do yet another redesign in the denomination’s troubled first year. Over the summer of 1793, Joseph Wright changed the obverse portrait and made Lady Liberty to face on the right. He also tamed the wild, flowing hair of Liberty to a more smoother and shorter hair. The Liberty is carrying a pole leaning on her shoulder and hoisted on it is her Phrygian cap. The word Liberty is still inscribed on top of the portrait and the date it was minted is struck below. Joseph Wright kept the wreath reverse design and the Liberty Cap large cent was minted until 1796.

Flowing Hair Large Cent with Chain Reverse

The Flowing Hair Large Cent with Chain Reverse is the first ever large cent design. It was designed by Henry Voigt and was minted only in 1793. It has the portrait of Lady Liberty with her unkempt, flowing hair on the obverse. On top of the portrait is the word LIBERTY inscribed, and below it is the date 1793 which is the date it was minted.

The reverse design features a chain surrounding the word ONE CENT that is inscribed in the middle of it. The word UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is inscribe on top and the denomination of 1/100, which is the value of the coin is struck near the center bottom of the coin.

Flowing Hair Large Cent with Wreath Reverse

The Flowing Hair Large Cent with Wreath Reverse is the second design and was made by Adam Eckfeldt. It has the same obverse as with the Flowing Hair large cent chain reverse, but below the portrait of Lady Liberty there is a strawberry leaf, and it was just above the date it was struck. The rarity of this design is known as the Strawberry Leaf variety.

The reverse of this design is different from the previous one. It features a wreath pointing upwards and was tied with a ribbon below. It encircles the word ONE CENT that is inscribe in the middle. Near the rim are the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA inscribed and encircles the wreath. And the denomination of 1/100 was still struck near the bottom of the coin. This was only struck on the same year it was introduced, and that was in 1793.

Composition and Specifications of Flowing Hair Large Cents

The Flowing Hair Large Cent coins were made of entirely copper and weigh for about 13.48 grams. It has a diameter of between 26 to 27 mm.

You also have three conditional factors that determine the value of a Flowing Hair Large Cent coins and they are: Red (RD), RB (Red-Brown), BN (Brown). A RD coin is going to have at least 90% original luster as struck by the mint and is the most valuable condition. The luster conditions only apply to mint state coins so any circulated coin will be designated BN.

Specifications of Flowing Hair Large Cent with Chain Reverse:
Designer: attributed to Henry Voight
Diameter: 27 millimeters
Metal content: Copper – 100%
Weight: 208 grains (13.5 grams)
Mint Mark: None (Philadephia Mint)
Edge Lettering:
These is the different varieties of edge lettering.
1. Vine and vertical bars, alternating
2. Lettered: ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR with one leaf after DOLLAR, or
3. Lettered: ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR with two leaves after DOLLAR

Specifications of Flowing Hair Large Cent with Wreath Reverse:
Designer: Attributed to Adam Eckfeldt
Diameter: 27 millimeters
Metal content: Copper – 100%
Weight: 208 grains (13.5 grams)
Mint Mark: None (Philadephia Mint)
Edge Lettering:
These is the different varieties of edge lettering.
1. Vine and vertical bars, alternating
2. Lettered: ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR with one leaf after DOLLAR, or
3. Lettered: ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR with two leaves after DOLLAR

Liberty Cap Large Cent

In that same year, 1793, large cent was redesigned by Joseph Wright. It features the portrait of Lady Liberty facing to the right with her tamed hair which was smoother and shorter than the previous designs. A phrygian cap on a pole was added behind her. The word LIBERTY is still there and was inscribed on top of the portrait, and below it is the date it was minted.

Joseph Wright kept the previous reverse design that features a wreath pointing upwards. The word ONE CENT is struck in the middle of the wreath, and the word UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is at the top, struck in a semi-circle fashion surrounding the wreath. At the middle near the bottom is the denomination of 1/100 inscribed. Liberty Cap Large Cent was minted in 1793 until mid-1796.

Composition and Specifications of Liberty Cap Large Cents

Liberty Cap Large Cents were struck on planchets from various sources, so the weight, thickness and diameter can vary from coin to coin. From 1793 to 1795, cents were struck on thick planchets with a weight of 13.48 grams (208 grains). Some issues of 1795 and all of 1796 were struck on thin planchets with a weight of 10.89 grams (168 grains). Those struck on thick planchets had a lettered edge, reading ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR, followed by a small leaf. The cents struck on thin planchets had a plain edge. All had a diameter of 29 millimeters and were struck out of pure copper.

These are the three conditional factors that determine the value of a Liberty Cap Large Cent coins and they are: Red (RD), RB (Red-Brown), BN (Brown). A RD coin is going to have at least 90% original luster as struck by the mint and is the most valuable condition. The luster conditions only apply to mint state coins so any circulated coin will be designated BN.

Specifications of Liberty Cap Large Cent:
Designer: Attributed to Joseph Wright
Diameter: 28.5 millimeters
Metal content: Copper – 100%
Weight: 208 grains (13.5 grams)
Mint Mark: None (Philadelphia Mint)
Edge Lettering:
There are 2 different possible edges:
1. Lettered: ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR with one leaf after DOLLAR, leaf points down
2. Lettered: ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR with one leaf after DOLLAR, leaf points up

How We Grade Flowing Hair Large Cents and Liberty Cap Large Cents

These are the different grades of Flowing Hair Large Cents and Liberty Cap Large Cents:

  • Uncirculated: These are the coins that never made it out onto the open market. They normally have a brand new look or same as how it looked like when it was first minted way back in 1793.
  • Extremely Fine: These coins look the same as uncirculated but it has few minor scratches and chips. These imperfections are noticeable but nothing so large that it will detract from the appearance of the coin.
  • Fine: These coins were likely been circulated for over a long period of time. They have scratches and chips but the letters and numbers on the surface image can still be seen by the naked eye.
  • Good: These are the coins that have been heavily circulated and damaged. The letters and numbers worn away due to deep scratching and smoothing. Most good graded coins are in the worst condition.

We prefer coins that have been graded and certified as authentic by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) or Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), though we will still give a fair deal for these coins.

Price Quote for Flowing Hair Large Cents and Liberty Cap Large Cents

We have different estimated prices for the 1793 Flowing Hair large cent coins, 1793 Liberty Cap large cent coins and the 1794-1796 Liberty Cap large cent coins.

For the 1793 Flowing Hair large cents, the price for Good graded coins reaches up to $8,000; for the Fine graded coins, it can reach up to $19,000; while the Extremely Fine graded coins reaches up to $65,000; and for the Uncirculated graded coins, it can reach up to $120,000.

The 1793 Liberty Cap large cents price for Good graded coins reaches up to $6,000; for the Fine graded coins, the prices can reach up to $16,000; while the price for Extremely Fine graded coins can range up to $80,000; and the Uncirculated graded coins reaches up to $170,000.

For the 1794-1796 Liberty Cap large cents, the price for Good graded coins can reach up to $370; for the Fine graded coins, it can reach up to $800; while the Extremely Fine graded coins reaches up to $4,000; and for the Uncirculated graded coins, it can reach up to $6,100.

Uncirculated coins price higher than the other grades because it has never been used or circulated in the open market, and it looks brand new with no imperfections or scratches

The 1793 Flowing Hair and Liberty Cap large cent coins price higher than those in 1794 to 1796 Liberty Cap large cent coins because of their rarity. The 1793 Flowing Hair large cent coins price the highest in most grade varieties because they weren’t circulated in the open market nor used for a long time. But the 1793 Liberty Cap large cent is the rarest half cent that has ever been minted by the US Mint in Philadelphia.

As you can see, we buy both Flowing Hair large cents and Liberty Cap large cents of 1793 to 1796. We will buy your coins no matter the grade and the condition. So, if you have Flowing Hair and Liberty Cap large cent coins, sell it to us and we will give you a good deal for your coins. Contact us now!

 

References: