1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 36,103 made
- Mintage
- 36,103
- Metal
- 100% copper
- Weight
- 13.48 g
- Diameter
- 26–27 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 a 1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1793 is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
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 1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent rare?
- 36,103 were made, which is a small number.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent?
- No mint mark. Every Flowing Hair cent was struck in Philadelphia.
- How many 1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent coins were made?
- 36,103.
What to check on your 1793
- 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.
- 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. On these early coppers, grade is judged by the hair detail and the legibility of LIBERTY and the date. Porosity, corrosion and planchet flaws are common and reduce value sharply, so "problem-free" surfaces matter as much as the numeric grade.
Most surviving coppers from 1793 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 1793
1793 was the first year of the Flowing Hair Large Cent. Philadelphia struck 36,103 of them. In 1793 the figure was 63,353.
1793 came to 63,353, so neither mint's 1793 coin is much scarcer than the other.
The first year of federal cents (1793)
Every Flowing Hair cent was struck at Philadelphia in 1793, the first full year the new Mint operated. The Chain reverse came first, in two varieties: early dies abbreviate the legend to AMERI. while later ones spell out AMERICA. Critics disliked both the wild-haired Liberty and the linked chain, so within weeks the Mint switched to a Wreath reverse and a reworked obverse with a sprig above the date. Wreath cents come with a vine and bars edge or a lettered edge, plus the rare Strawberry Leaf variety with only a few examples known.
The recorded figures are 36,103 Chain cents and 63,353 Wreath cents, a tiny output for a national coin. These were struck on hand-cut planchets of uneven copper using a screw press, so strikes are often soft at the hair and the rims. Most survivors are worn to Good or Very Good, many with dark, porous or corroded surfaces. Collectors judge them by whether the date, the full legend and the main design are still readable.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1793
The Philadelphia Mint struck its first coins for circulation in 1793: copper half cents and large cents. The cent appeared in three designs in a single year, from the Chain reverse to the Wreath reverse and then to the Liberty Cap, after the public criticized the first designs.
How to recognize it
The obverse shows Liberty facing right with loose, flowing hair, with LIBERTY above and the date below. The first reverse is a ring of 15 linked chains around ONE CENT and the fraction 1/100, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the edge. Critics read the chain as a symbol of bondage, so a wreath reverse replaced it within weeks. Both types are large copper coins, bigger than a modern quarter.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Flowing Hair Large Cent (1793–1793) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1793 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 36,103 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 13.48 grams |
| Diameter | 26–27 mm |
| Edge | Vine and bars, or lettered |
| Designer | Henry Voigt (Chain); Adam Eckfeldt is often credited with the Wreath reverse |
Other 1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent | 36,103 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent (Wreath reverse) | 63,353 | Circulation strike | – |
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.