1857 Braided Hair Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 333,456 made
- Mintage
- 333,456
- Metal
- 100% copper
- Weight
- 10.89 g
- Diameter
- 27.5 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 1857 Braided Hair 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 1857 Braided Hair Large Cent rare?
- Yes. Only 333,456 were made, 2nd lowest of the 19 regular issues in the series.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1857 Braided Hair Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1857 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 1857.
- How many 1857 Braided Hair Large Cent coins were made?
- 333,456.
What to check on your 1857
- 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 1857 Braided Hair Large Cent Proof (238 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 appears on the hair cords and the curls behind the ear. Because mintages were high, condition and eye appeal decide value for most dates.
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 1857
Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1857. Only 333,456 were made, against 2.7 million the year before. That drop is why the 1857 is the one people look for. It turned out to be Philadelphia's last Braided Hair Large Cent for circulation.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1857 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1839 (200,000) and the 1855 (1,574,829).
Only the 1839 has a lower mintage among Philadelphia's 19 Braided Hair Large Cents. No Braided Hair Large Cent of the 1850s had a smaller run.
Record output and the end of the large cent (1850 to 1857)
The large cent peaked in 1851 with 9.9 million coined. That year includes the 1851/81 date error. Output stayed high through 1854, but copper prices kept rising. By the mid 1850s each cent cost close to its face value to make. The 1855 has upright and slanting 5 varieties plus a Knob on Ear die break. The 1856 comes with an upright or slanting 5.
Congress ended the large cent with the Act of February 21, 1857, which created the smaller copper-nickel cent. Only 333,456 large cents dated 1857 were coined, early in the year, in large date and small date styles. These later dates survive in larger numbers in uncirculated grades than earlier cents, many with original red and brown color. Proof mintages also increased in 1854 to 1857 as interest in collecting grew.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1857
The Act of February 21, 1857 ended the large cent and the half cent and introduced the small copper-nickel Flying Eagle cent. The same law ended the legal tender status of foreign coins, so Spanish and Mexican silver could be traded in for new US coins.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces left with her hair gathered into a bun tied with beaded cords and a coronet reading LIBERTY. Thirteen stars surround her and the date is below. The reverse keeps the wreath around ONE CENT with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim. These were the last large cents before the coin was ended by law in 1857.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Braided Hair Large Cent (1839–1857) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 333,456 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 10.89 grams |
| Diameter | 27.5 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1857 Braided Hair Large Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1857 Braided Hair Large Cent | 333,456 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1857 Braided Hair Large Cent Proof | 238 | 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.