1839 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 3,128,661 made
- Mintage
- 3,128,661
- 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 1839 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 1839 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent rare?
- No. 3.1 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1839 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1839 are scarcer?
- The 1834 at 1,855,100, the 1836 at 2,111,000. So the 1839 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1839 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent coins were made?
- 3,128,661.
What to check on your 1839
- 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 1839 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent Proof (1 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 1839 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 1839
Philadelphia made 3,128,661 in 1839, down from 6.4 million in 1838. It was also the last year of the series.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1839 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). Within the 1830s it's 6th smallest of 10, between the 1833 (2.7 million) and the 1831 (3.4 million).
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 1839
The Liberty Seated half dollar replaced the Capped Bust design and the Braided Hair cent replaced the Coronet design late in the year.
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 | 1839 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 3,128,661 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 100% copper |
| Weight | 10.89 grams |
| Diameter | 28–29 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Robert Scot |
Other 1839 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1839 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent | 3,128,661 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1839 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent Proof | 1 | 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.