1810 US Coins: Values & Mintages

The Mint in the 1810s

War with Britain from 1812 to 1815 cut off imports of copper planchets and cent production stopped once stocks ran out in 1814. No cents are dated 1815. A fire in January 1816 damaged the Mint's machinery, which is why no half dollars are dated 1816 and output of other coins stayed low for a time.

After the war, banks and merchants needed coin again. The Mint resumed cents with the Coronet design in 1816 and brought back the quarter dollar with the Capped Bust design in 1815. Gold coins remained undervalued against silver and most were exported soon after striking, so few survive from this period.

How many coins were made in 1810

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 2,734,776 coins dated 1810 across 2 issues. That is 63% more than in 1809 (1,679,742). In 1811 the figure fell to 1,486,849.

It was the biggest year since 1803.

Every circulation coin on this page came from Philadelphia.

Those coins held about 493,613 troy ounces of pure silver.

1810 coins by denomination

Cents: 1,458,500 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Classic Head Large Cent, up 554% on 1809.

Half Dollars: 1,276,276 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Capped Bust Half Dollar, down 9.2% on 1809.

Every 1810 circulation issue at a glance

• 1810 Capped Bust Half Dollar: 1,276,276 struck, 11th lowest of 35 in the series, similar to 1809.
• 1810 Classic Head Large Cent: 1,458,500 struck, the highest mintage of the series, up from 222,867 in 1809.

Classic Head Large Cent: John Reich's new head and two low mintage keys

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.

See every Classic Head Large Cent →

Capped Bust Half Dollar: John Reich's half and the bank reserve years

John Reich's Capped Bust half dollar replaced the Draped Bust in 1807, with 750,500 struck that year. First-year varieties include small stars, large stars, a 50 over 20 denomination and the so-called Bearded Liberty, named for a die break under the chin. Output then stayed above one million a year through 1814, reaching 1,628,059 in 1812.

Banks used half dollars as their main silver reserve, so many coins moved between bank vaults rather than through daily trade. That helps explain why survivors from these years are often found in Fine to Extremely Fine rather than worn smooth. Overdates such as 1808/7, 1812/1 and 1814/3 are well known. The 1813 reverse with 50 C. punched over UNI is popular with specialists who collect by die marriage.

See every Capped Bust Half Dollar →