1840 Braided Hair Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 2,462,700 made
- Mintage
- 2,462,700
- Metal
- 100% copper
- Weight
- 10.89 g
- Diameter
- 27.5 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1840 Braided Hair Large Cent worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full red copper color (labeled RD) rather than brown
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1840 Braided Hair Large Cent rare?
- Not by date: 2.5 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1840 Braided Hair Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1840 are scarcer?
- The 1839 at 200,000, the 1841 at 1,597,367, the 1842 at 2,383,390, plus 2 more. So the 1840 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1840 Braided Hair Large Cent coins were made?
- 2,462,700.
What to check on your 1840
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1840 Braided Hair Large Cent Proof (15 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. Wear appears on the hair cords and the curls behind the ear. Because mintages were high, condition and eye appeal decide value for most dates.
The story of the 1840
Philadelphia ramped up hard in 1840: 2,462,700 coins, about 12 times the 1839 run. In 1841 the figure was 1.6 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1840 you find is from Philadelphia.
Across Philadelphia's 19 Braided Hair Large Cent issues, the hardest to find is the 1839 with 200,000 made. The 1840 is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1840s it's 5th smallest of 10, between the 1843 (2.4 million) and the 1845 (3.9 million).
Petite Head cents (1839 to 1843)
Christian Gobrecht's Braided Hair portrait arrived late in 1839, so only about 200,000 cents of the new design carry that date. The first version, called the Petite Head, shows a small head with small letters on the reverse. Annual output settled between 1.6 and 2.5 million cents. The 1840 and 1842 each come in small date and large date styles. The 1840 has a small date over large 18 variety.
In 1843 the Mint introduced a larger, more mature head and larger reverse letters. That year therefore has three combinations: Petite Head with small letters, Mature Head with large letters and a scarce mule pairing the Petite Head with the large letter reverse. Petite Head cents are usually seen worn to Very Fine or below with chocolate brown color. Proofs from these years are rare and were made only in very small numbers.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1840
Drapery was added below Liberty's elbow on the Seated Liberty dime, quarter and half dollar. The Seated Liberty dollar went into regular production.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces left with her hair gathered into a bun tied with beaded cords and a coronet reading LIBERTY. Thirteen stars surround her and the date is below. The reverse keeps the wreath around ONE CENT with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim. These were the last large cents before the coin was ended by law in 1857.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Braided Hair Large Cent (1839–1857) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1840 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 2,462,700 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 10.89 grams |
| Diameter | 27.5 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1840 Braided Hair Large Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 Braided Hair Large Cent | 2,462,700 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1840 Braided Hair Large Cent Proof | 15 | Proof | – |
Mintage: United States cent mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.