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Photos courtesy of Jay Parrino
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The first coins produced for circulation by the infant United States Mint were one-cent pieces. Made of pure copper, these were heavy and nearly the size of a modern half dollar. The copper large cents were also quite thick, and along their edges were alternating motifs of vines and parallel bars. Dated 1793, the first cents bear a youthful head of the goddess Liberty on their obverse and a circular chain on their reverse. There are 15 links to the chain, representing the number of states in the union at that time. These dies have been attributed to the mint's chief coiner, Henry Voight. A mere 36,103 Chain Cents were coined, all of them between March 1 and March 12, 1793. Of the 1,500-2,000 examples surviving today, nearly all are worn, and many are damaged. Mint state pieces are true rarities, and gem coins all the more so. The collecting of early copper cents is the oldest specialty area in American numismatics, these coins having been highly sought since before the Civil War. As the first of their type, Chain Cents are particular favorites, though the supply of attractive coins is very small. Among early cent enthusiasts, the magnificent specimen presented here is known with great reverence as "The Coin." A specially-struck presentation piece, it is superior in all respects to conventional cents of this type and is acknowledged by most specialists to be the finest example known. A needle-sharp strike and broad borders are combined with essentially flawless surfaces of lustrous chocolate brown. The plate coin in Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, it is pedigreed to the famed Joseph Mickley Collection. |
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