One of the first coins struck at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia was the Large Cent. Copper was cheap enough at one time that our United States Cents were very large. They were larger than our modern quarter dollar is today. This large coin was first minted in 1793 and with production lasting until 1857. Collectors call these cents Large Cents as a generic term to separate them from the later Small Cents.

Three design types appeared in 1793 cent large, each design had flowing hair on the obverse. The first reverse design, known as the Chain Cent, features a low-relief head of Liberty with fine, flowing locks of hair. The reverse shows a chain of fifteen links. Initial reaction to the coins was quite negative. The liberty head appeared to be in a panic and the chain was seen by many as representing slavery as opposed to strength and union.

As a result, Liberty head hair was changed and the chain was replaced with a wreath. This design was known as Wreath Cent. However this design fared little better than its predecessor and was soon replaced. The Liberty Cap design turned out to be a little more stable and was minted from 1794 to 1796.

This 1831 Large Cent recently sold on eBay for only $13.50

Large Cents Closing Soon

(9 coins) different dates Braided Hair Large Cent Coin!

US $112.00
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 10:19:15 PST
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20 Two Cent Pieces - Lot #E19

US $78.00 (9 Bids)
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 10:31:32 PST
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1818 LARGE CENT-STONG LIBERTY-NEARLY 200 YEARS OLD

US $8.27 (9 Bids)
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 11:12:10 PST
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1817 Large Cent AG

US $12.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 11:26:23 PST
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1848 Large Cent F+ Details OBV nicks

US $19.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 11:26:23 PST
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1854 Large 1 Cent

US $1.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 11:33:43 PST
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1838 LARGE CENT--FULL STRONG LIBERTY

US $7.28 (3 Bids)
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 11:34:33 PST
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1812 LARGE CENT - CLASSIC HEAD

US $102.50 (6 Bids)
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 11:41:22 PST
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1853 LARGE CENT - BRAIDED HAIR - NICE

US $38.00 (9 Bids)
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 11:51:07 PST
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1850 BRAIDED HAIR LARGE CENT~CIRCULATED~

US $10.51 (9 Bids)
End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 12:00:40 PST
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Large Cents Just Listed

1827 Coronet Cent--Beautiful High Grade-(N-2, Rarity3)

US $195.00
End Date: Sunday Apr-11-2010 10:22:21 PDT
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1856 Large Cent NGC MS65BN Wonderful Color

US $860.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Friday Mar-19-2010 9:33:13 PDT
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20- Classic Liberty Head Large One Cent Coins #15E

US $0.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Friday Mar-19-2010 9:12:01 PDT
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20- Classic Liberty Head Large One Cent Coins #14E

US $0.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Friday Mar-19-2010 9:08:28 PDT
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1851 BRAIDED HAIR LARGE CENT - ROTATED DIE

US $4.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Friday Mar-19-2010 8:44:19 PDT
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1819 Coronet Cent--Awesome XF/AU Coin

US $175.00
End Date: Sunday Apr-11-2010 8:42:03 PDT
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1839 Large cent Extra fine

US $0.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Mar-15-2010 8:38:15 PDT
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1837 Large cent Choice Extra fine

US $0.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Mar-15-2010 8:36:25 PDT
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1833 Large cent Extra fine

US $0.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Mar-15-2010 8:35:16 PDT
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1793 WREATCH CENT LETTERED EDGE S-11C R-3

US $6,000.00
End Date: Sunday Apr-11-2010 8:24:52 PDT
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In 1796, the Draped Bust design appeared and was minted until 1807. The Classic Head large cent ran from 1808 to 1814. The Matron Head design appeared in 1816 and lasted until 1839. The final design type is the Braided Hair type of 1840 to 1857. In 1857, the Large Cent was replaced by the new Small Cent that we know today.

The best place to purchase large cent coins is at eBay. Most of these coins are very expensive in the better grades and rare years. However, if you just want one or two for your collection look for large cents dated from about 1800 to 1857 in the lower grades of about good, good or very good. You should be able to find a specimen for your collection in the $10.00 to $25.00 range.

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