1846 Braided Hair Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 4,120,800 made
- Mintage
- 4,120,800
- 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 1846 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 1846 Braided Hair Large Cent rare?
- Not by date: 4.1 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1846 Braided Hair Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1846 are scarcer?
- The 1841 at 1,597,367, the 1842 at 2,383,390, the 1844 at 2,398,752, plus 2 more. So the 1846 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1846 Braided Hair Large Cent coins were made?
- 4,120,800.
What to check on your 1846
- 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 1846 Braided Hair Large Cent Proof (22 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 1846
Philadelphia made 4,120,800 in 1846, about the same as the year before. In 1847 the figure was 6.2 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1846 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 1846 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1840s it's 7th smallest of 10, between the 1845 (3.9 million) and the 1849 (4.2 million).
Mature Head and rising demand (1844 to 1849)
With the Mature Head in place, the Mint focused on volume. Production grew from 2.4 million in 1844 to more than 6 million in both 1847 and 1848, driven by population growth and expanding retail trade. Working dies now came from a master hub that carried everything but the date, so the portrait is very consistent from year to year, while the hand punched dates still vary.
Several date errors from this era are popular. The 1844/81 shows a date punched upside down and then corrected. The 1846 has a tall date, a medium date and a small date. The 1847 includes a 7 over small 7 repunching. Because so many coins were made, circulated examples are easy to find. These years are a practical choice for a type coin. Many survivors are evenly worn and brown, though some show cleaning or rim nicks from heavy use.
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 | 1846 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 4,120,800 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 10.89 grams |
| Diameter | 27.5 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1846 Braided Hair Large Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1846 Braided Hair Large Cent | 4,120,800 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1846 Braided Hair Large Cent Proof | 22 | 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.