1812 Classic Head Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,075,500 made
- Mintage
- 1,075,500
- 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 1812 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 1812 Classic Head Large Cent rare?
- Somewhat. 1,075,500 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1812 Classic Head Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1812 are scarcer?
- The 1811 at 218,025, the 1809 at 222,867, the 1814 at 357,830, plus 2 more. So the 1812 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1812 Classic Head Large Cent coins were made?
- 1,075,500.
What to check on your 1812
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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 1812 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.
The story of the 1812
Philadelphia ramped up hard in 1812: 1,075,500 coins, about 4.9 times the 1811 run. In 1813 the figure was 418,000.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1812 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1808 (1,007,000) and the 1810 (1,458,500).
Across Philadelphia's 7 Classic Head Large Cent issues, the hardest to find is the 1811 with 218,025 made. The 1812 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1810s it's 4th smallest of 5, between the 1813 (418,000) and the 1810 (1.5 million).
War of 1812 and the year without cents (1812 to 1815)
The War of 1812 shaped these final years. Cents of 1812 come with small and large date styles. Production slipped to 418,000 in 1813. The 1814 is known with a plain 4 and a crosslet 4, a popular pair for type collectors because both were struck in good numbers from the planchets still on hand.
By 1815 the British blockade had cut off the supply of copper planchets from England. The Mint coined no cents dated 1815. Any coin offered with that date is an alteration or a fantasy made from another cent. When fresh planchets arrived the Mint switched to Robert Scot's Coronet design in 1816, ending the Classic Head type after just seven struck dates. Like the earlier years, 1812 to 1814 cents are usually seen dark and somewhat rough. Well preserved examples carry a strong premium.
The cents of 1812 to 1814 were struck from the last copper planchets on hand before the British blockade stopped new shipments. The 1814 comes in Plain 4 and Crosslet 4 varieties, told apart by a small serif on the crossbar of the 4. When peace returned the Mint chose a new design rather than reviving Reich's, so the type ended with the 1814 coins.
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 | 1812 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,075,500 |
| 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.