1809 Classic Head Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 222,867 made
- Mintage
- 222,867
- Metal
- 100% copper
- Weight
- 10.89 g
- Diameter
- 29 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 1809 Classic Head 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 1809 Classic Head Large Cent rare?
- Yes. Only 222,867 were made, 2nd lowest of the 7 regular issues in the series.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1809 Classic Head Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1809 are scarcer?
- The 1811 at 218,025. So the 1809 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1809 Classic Head Large Cent coins were made?
- 222,867.
What to check on your 1809
- 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. The word LIBERTY on the headband and the hair curls are the key wear points. Surface quality drives price as much as the grade itself.
Most surviving coppers from 1809 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 1809
Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1809. Only 222,867 were made, against 1 million the year before. That drop is why the 1809 is the one people look for. In 1810 the figure was 1.5 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1809 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1811 (218,025) and the 1814 (357,830).
Only the 1811 has a lower mintage among Philadelphia's 7 Classic Head Large Cents.
John Reich's new head and two low mintage keys (1808 to 1811)
John Reich, hired as assistant engraver in 1807, introduced the Classic Head cent in 1808 with Liberty wearing a band inscribed LIBERTY and a simpler wreath on the reverse. The 1808 has a 12 Stars variety caused by a die flaw that hid one star. The design stayed the same through 1811, but output swung widely as copper supplies came and went.
Two of the scarcest dates in the series fall here. The 1811 is the lowest mintage regular Classic Head at 218,025, with an 1811/0 overdate as well. The 1809 is close behind at 222,867. The 1810 includes an 1810/09 overdate struck from a reworked die. Classic Head copper was often of uneven quality, so many survivors have dark, porous or granular surfaces even when the design is only lightly worn. A smooth, evenly brown example is noticeably harder to find than a sharp one.
Collectors know the Classic Head cents for difficult surfaces. The copper the Mint received in these years was often soft or impure and many coins have darkened, turned porous or corroded. A Classic Head cent with smooth, glossy brown surfaces is much scarcer than its mintage suggests and specialists will often choose an attractive lower-grade coin over a sharper one with rough surfaces. Wear shows first on the curls above the eye and on the LIBERTY band.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces left wearing a band inscribed LIBERTY, surrounded by 13 stars with the date below. The reverse has a simple wreath around ONE CENT with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim. The fraction 1/100 was dropped. The soft copper of this period often survives dark or porous, so smooth, evenly toned coins stand out.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Classic Head Large Cent (1808–1815) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1809 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 222,867 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 10.89 grams |
| Diameter | 29 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | John Reich |
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.