1820 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 4,407,550 made
- Mintage
- 4,407,550
- Metal
- 100% copper
- Weight
- 10.89 g
- Diameter
- 28–29 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 1820 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
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
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1820 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent rare?
- No. With 4.4 million made, it's one of the most common Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cents.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1820 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1820 are scarcer?
- The 1821 at 389,000, the 1823 at 1,262,000, the 1824 at 1,262,000, plus 6 more. So the 1820 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1820 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent coins were made?
- 4,407,550.
What to check on your 1820
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1820 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent Proof (8 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 first shows on the hair curls, the coronet and the leaves of the wreath. Mint-red coins exist from hoards, but most survivors are brown.
Most surviving coppers from 1820 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 1820
Output at Philadelphia climbed to 4,407,550 in 1820, from 2.7 million the year before. The next year it made 389,000 (1821).
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1820 you find is from Philadelphia.
Philadelphia struck the Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent in 24 issues between 1816 and 1839. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1821 (389,000). No Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent of the 1820s had a bigger run.
Postwar recovery and the Randall Hoard (1816 to 1820)
With the war over and copper flowing again, the Mint introduced Robert Scot's Coronet design in 1816 and coined 2.8 million cents that year. Output stayed strong through 1820, when it reached 4.4 million. Interesting dies from these years include the 1817 with 15 stars, the 1819/8 overdate and the 1820/19 overdate. Proof cents also begin to appear in very small numbers from 1817.
These dates are easier to find in mint state than almost any other early cent, thanks to the Randall Hoard, a group of several thousand uncirculated cents discovered in Georgia after the Civil War. Most were dated 1818 and 1820, with smaller numbers from 1816, 1817 and 1819. Hoard coins usually show red and brown color with spotting and often some flecks. Circulated coins from these years tend to have better copper than the Classic Heads, giving smoother brown surfaces.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, with 13 stars around her and the date below. Collectors call the early version the Matron Head because of her mature features. The reverse is a continuous wreath around ONE CENT with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim. Later dates use a slightly younger portrait and finer details.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent (1816–1839) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 4,407,550 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 10.89 grams |
| Diameter | 28–29 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Robert Scot |
Other 1820 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent | 4,407,550 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1820 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent Proof | 8 | 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.