1793 Chain Cent - The 1793 Chain Cent was the first regular cent coin issued by the United States Mint. Designed by Henry Voigt, there are three principal varieties. The AMERI. version shows an abbreviation because of improper spacing. The second version has periods after LIBERTY and the date, while the third has no periods.

The obverse of all Chain Cents shows a profile of Liberty looking to the left. Her hair is untied, hence the designation Flowing Hair. LIBERTY is above the portrait and the date is below. Contemporary critics said that Miss Liberty appeared to be “in a fright.”

The reverse shows a fifteen-links chain motif, intended to represent the unity of the Union, with each link representing a state at the time. Within the chain is the denomination ONE CENT on two lines with the fraction 1/100 below. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is at the periphery. The rims are raised on both sides, and there are no beads or dentils. The edge is designed with a Vine-and-Bars pattern.

The illustrated coin is the Periods variety. Unlike most Chain Cents, it is well struck. Liberty’s hair and the date are distinct. The reverse of is sharper than the obverse, which is typical for the type. All of the letters in the legends are bold and clear. The chain is so bold that it pops off the coin.

The surfaces show microscopic porosity, more so, on the obverse. They are virtually free of abrasion marks or other distractions with just one tiny tick in the center below Liberty’s ear, mentioned for the sake of accuracy. The surfaces are original with no tooling or burnishing, which is often found on coins of this era. Known as the S-4 variety, both LIBERTY and the date are followed by a period. Both are also closely spaced. On the reverse the word AMERICA is spelled out. The fraction bar is distant from the denominator compared to the numerator and high.

1799 Large Cent - The 1799 Large Cent was the last large cent of the 18th century. Designed by Robert Scot, it is the Draped Bust type. A similar obverse motif was used by Scot on other early denominations including half cents, half dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars. It is believed that the design came from a drawing by Gilbert Stuart, which was first used on some silver dollars of 1795.

The coin shows Liberty in profile facing right. Her hair is tied with a ribbon in the back but most of it falls to her shoulder with a curl below the truncation. Each strand of hair ends in a curl. LIBERTY is above and the date is below.

The reverse shows an open wreath of laurel tied with a bow. Within the wreath, on two lines, is the denomination, ONE CENT. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the wreath at the periphery. At the bottom, between the ribbon ends is the fraction 1/100. Dentils are at the edge on both sides, and the coin has a plain edge. The 1799 cent appeared with both an overdate and a normal date.

The pictured coin is an example of a regular or normal date piece. This rare, nicely toned 1799 Draped Bust Large Cent has chocolate brown devices over darker brown fields. The colors attest to the coin’s originality.

The grade is confirmed by the presence of some detail in the hair above Liberty’s forehead and to the left of her eye. The folds of her drapery are strong. On the reverse the leaves of the wreath show significant detail. The surfaces are hard and wonderfully clean for the grade with no abrasions or other distractions of importance. The coin is identified as Sheldon 189. The S-189 is a regular date. LIBERTY is evenly and closely spaced in its usual position. The second 9 is a little higher and heavier than the first. On the reverse, the E in UNITED and the F in OF are heavily recut at the crossbars. There is also a die chip between the E in ONE and the T in CENT.