Braided Hair Large Cent

The Braided Hair Large Cent coins, minted from 1839 to 1857, achieved greater uniformity than earlier large cents.

Specifications

 * Designer: Christian Gobrecht
 * Obverse Design: Braided Hair Liberty Facing Left
 * Reverse Design: Wreath with "one cent" in the center
 * Edge: Plain
 * Weight: 10.89 grams
 * Diameter: 27.5 millimeters
 * Composition:  Copper - 100%
 * Dates Minted: 1839-1857

Background
For collectors, the Braided Hair large cent is a very consistent series. Over the course of its issue years of 1839 through 1857, there were no radical design changes, no years were skipped, and in only one year was there a noticeable falloff in mintage numbers. With Braided Hair large cents, you almost don’t have to worry about which ones are the better dates, or which ones are common. Virtually all the dates, save one, are common dates. But while this coin series may contain no great rarities, the Braided Hair large cent will forever go down in history as our nation’s last large cent.

Engraver Christian Gobrecht is responsible for the Braided Hair large cent design. It’s basically similar to the earlier Coronet Head large cent design of 1816-39, but what’s interesting is this: from 1835 through 1839, the large cent was already morphing into the Braided Hair design. The liberty bust on the 1835-39 large cents are clearly different from the standard Coronet Head busts of 1816-34—sharper noses, thinner faces, tighter curls. These 1835-39 Coronet Head large cents (given such sub-type names as “Silly Head” and “Booby Head”) more resemble the Braided Hair large cents than the Coronet Head large cents they are classified under! Even so, when the new 1840 large cent appeared, its liberty bust was even distinctive from the peculiar Coronet Head large cents of 1835-39. So a new classification of large cent was born.

It’s not just the new liberty head (tight curls that resemble braids, hair covering the ears, thin-faced, stern countenance) that distinguished the Braided Hair large cent from its predecessor, but also the size. Hold both the Coronet Head large cent and Braided Hair cent in your hand, and you’ll notice that the Braided Hair cent is not only smaller in diameter, but noticeably thicker. That’s not your imagination: the Coronet Head cent is 28-29 mm in diameter, the Braided Hair cent, 27.5.

The Braided Hair large cent is also struck in higher relief than the earlier U.S. large cents. That’s why, despite heavy circulation, these large cents have fared better over the years, condition-wise than other cent types. It’s not too terribly hard to find an example in Fine to Very Fine condition—only when you go up into the Mint-State categories is it harder to track one down.

History
This large cent is a true pioneer-era coin. During its mintage years, California went from being a territory under Mexico, to becoming part of the United States. This cent was in circulation when covered wagons were crossing the plains and deserts, as Americans from the east began seeking new lands to settle out west. To me, a date that really stands out for its historical value is the 1849 large cent. Considering the Gold Rush history behind its date, this large cent represents a great value, especially since it retails no more than any other Braided Hair cent date!

There are a couple of varieties to be aware of with this series, though none of these varieties affect values too much. First, be aware that with the 1840 and 1842 large cents, these were struck with “small dates” and “large dates.” In 1843, the Liberty head became slightly larger and the lettering on the reverse was made a bit larger as well. Also, the 1855 and 1856 dates feature a numeral “5” that either slants or is upright.

Collecting
Virtually every date in this series is valued the same: $20 in Good, $40 in Fine, and just $50 in Very Fine. In other words, why waste your time with a Fine, when you can pay just a few dollars more for a sharper Very Fine? Then again, if you can afford $50 for a Very Fine, you just might do well going up to just $75 for an Extra Fine! That is one attractive U.S. coin classic for under $100—one with over 140 years of history behind it!

True, there are a couple of fluke-ish over-dates that retail higher than the common dates. The 1844/81 retails at $65 in Good. The 1851/81 retails $50 in Good—so yes, keep your eyes open for such over-dates (over-dates are distinguished by numerals that look blob-ish). But the real key date of the Braided Hair large cent series is 1857, the last year of issue. Only 333, 456 were struck. That’s a big dropoff from the other years when at least a few million of each date were struck. But by 1857, the cent landscape had changed drastically. The large cent was now sharing space in U.S. commerce with ANOTHER type of cent: the much smaller and handier-to-use copper-nickel Flying Eagle cent!

Clearly, the U.S. Treasury was trying to phase out the large cent in favor of this new small cent. And it worked. Over 17 million Flying Eagle cents were struck in 1857, compared to just over 333,000 Braided Hair large cents. Because of the small mintage AND because it’s the last of the Braided Hair large cents AND because it’s the last of all U.S. large cents to be struck, the 1857 has a lot going for it in terms of collector allure. They retail $150 in Good, $200 in Fine.

The Braided Hair large cent actually shared space with the Flying Eagle cent for two years: 1856 and 1857. It wasn’t supposed to be that way, as the 1856 Flying Eagle cent wasn’t meant to circulate -—but it did, to a small degree. But after 1857, it was clear that the U.S. public would rather carry around small cents than the much heavier large cents. So after 1857, the large cent was retired for good. The large cent had been a part of American commerce from 1793 through 1857. It may have worn out its welcome as with the American public as spending money, but the large cent has never worn out its welcome with U.S. coin collectors!

Mints

 * Philadelphia Mint (No mintmark)