Specifications
- Denomination
- 1 cent
- Series
- Flowing Hair large cent — Chain reverse
- Designer
- Henry Voigt
- Engraver
- Henry Voigt
- Years of issue
- 1793
- Composition
- 100% Copper
- Weight
- 13.48 g
- Diameter
- 27 mm
- Mintage
- 36103
- Key mintages
- 36,103 struck March 1–12, 1793 (CoinWeek; Wikipedia).
Melt value: $0.19
36,103 struck in 12 days of March 1793 — America's first federal cent; the AMERI. variety is one of the rarest early U.S. coins.
History
- The Chain Cent was the first circulating coin produced by the U.S. Mint — 36,103 were struck over just 12 days, March 1–12, 1793, at the Philadelphia Mint (CoinWeek; English Wikipedia, accessed 2026-09-16).
- Designed and die-cut by Henry Voigt, the first Chief Coiner; the reverse shows a 15-link chain around ‘ONE CENT,’ symbolizing the unity of the 15 states (CoinWeek; Greysheet, accessed 2026-09-16).
- The chain motif was mocked as a symbol of bondage, and the flowing-hair Liberty was called unattractive — the design was replaced by the Wreath cent within weeks (CoinWeek; Wikipedia, accessed 2026-09-16).
- Just over $361 worth of cents was ever produced — the smallest face-value production of any U.S. Mint type (CoinWeek/Blanchard, accessed 2026-09-16).
- Four main Sheldon varieties exist: S-1 (AMERI. abbreviation), S-2 (AMERICA, wide date), S-3 (leaning R in LIBERTY), S-4 (periods after LIBERTY and date), plus the non-collectible NC-1 (only two known) (CoinWeek; Wikipedia, accessed 2026-09-16).
Key dates and varieties
- 1793 Chain Cent, S-1 (AMERI.) — only ~118–158 estimated survivors (PCGS/Greysheet); the only early American coin with an abbreviated reverse legend; a PCGS SP65 BN specimen was the subject of a Greysheet listing (Greysheet; CoinWeek).
- 1793 Chain Cent, S-2 (AMERICA) — the rarest collectible variety; lowest surviving population of the four Sheldons (CoinWeek).
- 1793 Chain Cent, S-4 (Periods) — periods after LIBERTY and date; ~300 estimated survivors (PCGS CoinFacts 35444).
- 1793 Chain Cent, S-3 (Leaning R) — the ‘Leaning R’ variety, ~325–625 estimated survivors (PCGS CoinFacts).
Specifications
- composition
- weight
- diameter
- edge
- alignment
- designers
- mint
Certified populations: PCGS CoinFacts survival estimates: ~625 (AMERICA), ~300 (S-4), ~325 (Periods); Greysheet: only ~118–158 AMERI. survivors (S-1)
Collector notes
- CORRECTION: A commonly circulated mintage of 63,353 applies to the 1793 Wreath cent, not the Chain cent. The verified Chain cent production is 36,103 over March 1–12, 1793 (CoinWeek; Wikipedia).
- Attribution markers (CoinWeek): S-1 shows a die crack at the first T in STATES, a bulge above U in UNITED, and a bulge through the 1 in the date; S-3 has the leaning R in LIBERTY; S-4 has periods after LIBERTY and the date; the S-1 cud above TAT appears in later die states.
- Certification strongly recommended: Chain cents are among the most counterfeited early U.S. coins, and the AMERI. vs AMERICA attribution affects value enormously.
- PHOTO NOTE: The BnF photograph is of a 1793 Philadelphia cent from the Bibliothèque nationale de France collection (public domain, US + France). Confirm the side shown matches the entry’s featured view before using it as the primary image.
Market check
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