1811 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 1811

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 1,486,849 coins dated 1811 across 3 issues. That is 46% fewer than in 1810 (2,734,776). In 1812 the figure rose to 2,703,559.

It was the smallest year since 1806.

Every circulation coin on this page came from Philadelphia.

Those coins held about 470,571 troy ounces of pure silver.

1811 coins by denomination

Cents: 218,025 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Classic Head Large Cent, down 85% on 1810.

Dimes: 65,180 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Capped Bust Dime.

Half Dollars: 1,203,644 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Capped Bust Half Dollar, down 5.7% on 1810.

Every 1811 circulation issue at a glance

• 1811 Capped Bust Dime: 65,180 struck, 2nd lowest of 20 in the series, up from 51,065 in 1809.
• 1811 Classic Head Large Cent: 218,025 struck, the lowest mintage of all 7 Classic Head Large Cent issues, down from 1,458,500 in 1810.
• 1811 Capped Bust Half Dollar: 1,203,644 struck, 8th lowest of 35 in the series, similar to 1810.

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.

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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.

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Capped Bust Dime: John Reich's dime arrives

No dimes were struck in 1808. In 1809 Assistant Engraver John Reich's Capped Bust design appeared. Liberty wears a cloth cap with a band reading LIBERTY. On the reverse an eagle with a shield holds an olive branch and three arrows, with E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll above. For the first time a dime carried its value, 10 C. The coin was struck on a screw press in an open collar, so it measures about 18.8 millimeters across.

Mintages were small. Philadelphia struck 51,065 dimes in 1809, the first year and a key date. None were made in 1810. The 65,180 coins of 1811 were all struck from an old die with the date 1811 punched over 1809. No dimes were made in 1812 or 1813. Production jumped in 1814 to 421,500. The 1814 comes in Small Date and Large Date forms and in a variety where the words run together as STATESOFAMERICA on the reverse.

Spanish and Mexican silver coins still circulated widely and depositors of silver at the Mint usually asked for larger coins, which explains the gaps. For a dime of these years, check the date carefully. On an 1811 you should see traces of the 09 under the 11. On an 1814 read the reverse legend for spacing. Survivors are usually worn and many have been cleaned.

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