1827 US Coins: Values & Mintages

The Mint in the 1820s

Robert Scot, engraver since 1793, died in 1823 and William Kneass succeeded him the following year. Samuel Moore became director in 1824. The half dollar was the workhorse of the decade: banks used it as their main reserve coin and many millions were struck and stored rather than spent, which is why Capped Bust halves of the 1820s are still relatively easy to find.

Cents were coined in the hundreds of thousands to low millions each year, still from imported copper planchets. Gold coins continued to leave the country because their gold was worth more abroad than their face value at home. The close collar, a ring that holds the planchet during striking and gives coins a uniform diameter and a crisp rim, came into use late in the decade on the smaller silver coins.

How many coins were made in 1827

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 9,070,132 coins dated 1827 across 4 issues. That is 64% more than in 1826 (5,521,605). In 1828 the figure fell to 5,562,824.

No earlier year on our list comes close: it was the largest output up to that point.

Every circulation coin on this page came from Philadelphia.

Those coins held about 2,219,527 troy ounces of pure silver.

1827 coins by denomination

Cents: 2,357,732 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent, up 55% on 1826.

Dimes: 1,215,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Capped Bust Dime.

Quarters: 4,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Capped Bust Quarter.

Half Dollars: 5,493,400 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Capped Bust Half Dollar, up 37% on 1826.

Every 1827 circulation issue at a glance

• 1827 Capped Bust Quarter: 4,000 struck, the lowest mintage of all 18 Capped Bust Quarter issues, down from 168,000 in 1824.
• 1827 Capped Bust Dime: 1,215,000 struck, more than 95% of the series' 20 issues, up from 410,000 in 1825.
• 1827 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent: 2,357,732 struck, 12th lowest of 24 in the series, up from 1,517,425 in 1826.
• 1827 Capped Bust Half Dollar: 5,493,400 struck, more than 91% of the series' 35 issues, up from 4,004,180 in 1826.

Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent: Scarce dates of the early 1820s

Production dropped sharply in 1821 to only 389,000, in the slow economy that followed the Panic of 1819, making 1821 one of the harder dates of the type in higher grades. Output recovered to more than 2 million in 1822, yet the Mint reported no separate figure for 1823. Cents of that date are scarce. Both the 1823 and the 1823/2 overdate are considered keys.

Watch for restrikes: a discarded 1823 obverse die was later used outside the Mint to strike unofficial pieces, so an 1823 needs careful attribution before it is treated as an original. Overdates continue with the 1824/2 and the 1826/5, created when the Mint updated old dies instead of making new ones. By 1827 annual output passed 2.3 million again. Survivors from this period range widely in quality, but many show even wear and the medium brown color typical of the Coronet type.

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Capped Bust Quarter: The 1827 rarity and the last large quarters

No quarters dated 1826 are known. Mint records report 4,000 quarters for 1827, but those coins may have carried earlier dates. Quarters dated 1827 exist almost entirely as proofs. Originals show a curled base on the 2 of the date, while later restrikes made from the same obverse have a square-based 2. Both are classic rarities that rarely appear for sale.

The 1828 quarter, with 102,000 struck, was the final large-diameter issue. It includes another 25/50 C. reverse in which the earlier 50 is visible beneath the 25. No quarters are dated 1829 or 1830 while the Mint prepared to adopt a close collar and a smaller format. Most 1828 quarters show honest circulation wear. Well struck examples with clear stars and a sharp eagle are the ones to look for.

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Capped Bust Half Dollar: Peak lettered edge production

From 1825 the Mint struck about three to more than six million halves a year, reaching 6,412,004 in 1834. These high mintages make the dates of the late 1820s and early 1830s the most available Capped Bust halves and the usual choice for a type set. The lettered edge still reads FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR.

Varieties are plentiful. The 1828 has curled and square base 2 dates with large and small letters on the reverse. The 1830 comes with a small or large 0 and the 1832 with small or large letters. Collectors identify individual die pairs using the numbering system published by Al C. Overton. Coins of these years are often found with original toning in Fine to About Uncirculated, though cleaned and polished pieces are common.

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Capped Bust Dime: Overdates and a million-coin year

The Mint reused old dies by repunching the date. Every 1823 dime shows a 3 over a 2. A total of 440,000 were struck. Small E and Large E versions exist on the reverse. Every 1824 dime shows a 4 over a 2. Mint records lump the dimes of 1824 and 1825 together at 510,000, which references divide as about 100,000 for 1824 and 410,000 for 1825.

No dimes are dated 1826. In 1827 the Mint made 1,215,000, a high total for the time and the last big year of the large size design. Philadelphia was the only mint striking dimes at the time. The 1827 is one of the more available Capped Bust dimes and often turns up in collections as a type coin. Even so, many Americans of the time rarely handled a dime. Spanish reales and half reales still made up much of their small change.

Overdates are easy to spot when the coin is not too worn. Look at the last digit under a magnifier for the curve of the 2 behind the 3 or the 4. Survivors of this period are mostly circulated, often cleaned and sometimes holed. William Kneass became Chief Engraver in these years and later changed the dime's size, so these are among the last dimes struck the old way in an open collar.

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