1855 Braided Hair Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,574,829 made
- Mintage
- 1,574,829
- 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 1855 Braided Hair Large Cent worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
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
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1855 Braided Hair Large Cent rare?
- Somewhat. 1,574,829 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1855 Braided Hair Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1855 are scarcer?
- The 1857 at 333,456. So the 1855 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1855 Braided Hair Large Cent coins were made?
- 1,574,829.
What to check on your 1855
- 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 1855 Braided Hair Large Cent Proof (100 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 1855
Output at Philadelphia slipped to 1,574,829 in 1855, from 4.2 million the year before. In 1856 the figure was 2.7 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1855 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1841 (1,597,367) and the 1842 (2,383,390).
Only the 1839 and the 1857 have a lower mintage among Philadelphia's 19 Braided Hair Large Cents. Among the 1850s issues, only the 1857 had a smaller run.
Record output and the end of the large cent (1850 to 1857)
The large cent peaked in 1851 with 9.9 million coined. That year includes the 1851/81 date error. Output stayed high through 1854, but copper prices kept rising. By the mid 1850s each cent cost close to its face value to make. The 1855 has upright and slanting 5 varieties plus a Knob on Ear die break. The 1856 comes with an upright or slanting 5.
Congress ended the large cent with the Act of February 21, 1857, which created the smaller copper-nickel cent. Only 333,456 large cents dated 1857 were coined, early in the year, in large date and small date styles. These later dates survive in larger numbers in uncirculated grades than earlier cents, many with original red and brown color. Proof mintages also increased in 1854 to 1857 as interest in collecting grew.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1855
Arrows beside the date marked the reduced-weight silver coins for the last time. The San Francisco Mint struck its first silver coins: quarters and half dollars.
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 | 1855 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,574,829 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 10.89 grams |
| Diameter | 27.5 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1855 Braided Hair Large Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1855 Braided Hair Large Cent | 1,574,829 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1855 Braided Hair Large Cent Proof | 100 | 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.