1838 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 6,370,200 made
- Mintage
- 6,370,200
- 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 1838 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 1838 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent rare?
- No. With 6.4 million made, it's one of the most common Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cents.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1838 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1838 are scarcer?
- The 1834 at 1,855,100, the 1836 at 2,111,000, the 1833 at 2,739,000, plus 3 more. So the 1838 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1838 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent coins were made?
- 6,370,200.
What to check on your 1838
- 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 1838 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent Proof (12 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 1838 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 1838
Philadelphia made 6,370,200 in 1838, up from 5.6 million in 1837. In 1839 the figure was 3.1 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1838 you find is from Philadelphia.
Of the 24 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cents Philadelphia struck between 1816 and 1839, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest Philadelphia issue is the 1821 at 389,000. No Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent of the 1830s had a bigger run.
Gobrecht's modified heads and Hard Times (1835 to 1839)
Christian Gobrecht began reworking the portrait in 1835, so some 1835 cents show the older head and others the slimmer Head of 1836. In 1837 he added beaded hair cords, giving the Head of 1838, while plain cord coins of the same year also exist. Demand rose during the Panic of 1837. Mintages reached 5.5 million in 1837 and 6.4 million in 1838.
The final year, 1839, is a collector favorite because it holds several transitional portraits known as the Silly Head and the Booby Head, as well as the scarce 1839/6 overdate, the key to this group. Copper Hard Times tokens, the same size as a cent, circulated widely in these years and are often found alongside them. Cents of 1835 to 1839 usually come with honest brown surfaces and are among the more affordable Coronet dates to complete.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1838
Three branch mints opened in 1838: New Orleans, Louisiana and the gold-only mints at Charlotte, North Carolina and Dahlonega, Georgia. The Liberty Seated design reached the quarter.
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 | 1838 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 6,370,200 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 10.89 grams |
| Diameter | 28–29 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Robert Scot |
Other 1838 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent | 6,370,200 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1838 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent Proof | 12 | 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.