1821 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 389,000 made
- Mintage
- 389,000
- Metal
- 100% copper
- Weight
- 10.89 g
- Diameter
- 28–29 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 1821 Coronet (Matron Head) 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 1821 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent rare?
- Yes. Only 389,000 were made, the lowest of any regular Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1821 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1821 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 1821.
- How many 1821 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent coins were made?
- 389,000.
What to check on your 1821
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1821 Coronet (Matron Head) 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 first shows on the hair curls, the coronet and the leaves of the wreath. Mint-red coins exist from hoards, but most survivors are brown.
Most surviving coppers from 1821 show some corrosion, scratches or porous surfaces. Smooth, evenly toned coins are much scarcer than the mintage suggests, so surface quality matters as much as the grade. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1821
Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1821. Only 389,000 were made, against 4.4 million the year before. That drop is why the 1821 is the one people look for. In 1822 the figure was 2.1 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1821 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1823 (1,262,000) and the 1824 (1,262,000).
Of the 24 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cents Philadelphia struck between 1816 and 1839, this is the scarcest. No Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent of the 1820s had a smaller run.
Scarce dates of the early 1820s (1821 to 1827)
Production dropped sharply in 1821 to only 389,000, in the slow economy that followed the Panic of 1819, making 1821 one of the harder dates of the type in higher grades. Output recovered to more than 2 million in 1822, yet the Mint reported no separate figure for 1823. Cents of that date are scarce. Both the 1823 and the 1823/2 overdate are considered keys.
Watch for restrikes: a discarded 1823 obverse die was later used outside the Mint to strike unofficial pieces, so an 1823 needs careful attribution before it is treated as an original. Overdates continue with the 1824/2 and the 1826/5, created when the Mint updated old dies instead of making new ones. By 1827 annual output passed 2.3 million again. Survivors from this period range widely in quality, but many show even wear and the medium brown color typical of the Coronet type.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, with 13 stars around her and the date below. Collectors call the early version the Matron Head because of her mature features. The reverse is a continuous wreath around ONE CENT with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim. Later dates use a slightly younger portrait and finer details.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent (1816–1839) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1821 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 389,000 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 10.89 grams |
| Diameter | 28–29 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Robert Scot |
Other 1821 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1821 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent | 389,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1821 Coronet (Matron Head) 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.