1816 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1816

Cent production resumed in 1816 with the Coronet (Matron Head) design after the wartime copper shortage ended.

New this year: the Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent.

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 1816

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 2,820,982 coins dated 1816 across 1 issue. That is 1968% more than in 1815 (136,385). In 1817 the figure rose to 5,163,964.

It was the biggest year since 1803.

Every circulation coin on this page came from Philadelphia.

1816 coins by denomination

Cents: 2,820,982 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent.

Every 1816 circulation issue at a glance

• 1816 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent: 2,820,982 struck, more than 65% of the series' 24 issues.

Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent: Postwar recovery and the Randall Hoard

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.

See every Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent →