1793 1C Flowing Hair Chain Reverse America Large Cent PCGS FR02 Gen 2.2 OGH

Product Description

A 1793 Flowing Hair Chain Reverse "America" variety Large Cent graded Fair 2 (FR-02) by PCGS in a scarce Generation 2.2 Old Green Holder that was used from December 1989 to January 1990. This piece displays an original brown copper color/tone, visible bust outline, no visible obverse legends, date mostly worn away and the remnants of the numbers "79" are only visible with a loupe. Reverse details heavily worn with only part of the chain visible. Planchet flaws visible on the reverse and rim, typical of early United States copper coinage. The total mintage for this date, mint & variety: 36,103. Please view our photos for additional information and ask any questions prior to purchase.

Starting in 1793, the Flowing Hair Chain (Large) Cent became America’s first official coin minted by the United States Mint. Though only minted for about a month in 1793 with mint records indicating only 36,103 pieces were struck, the Chain Cent paved the way for future designs of American coinage. The obverse design depicts a profiled bust of Liberty with wavy ‘flowing’ hair. “LIBERTY” appears above the bust with the date below. The reverse design for which this coin named shows an interlocking fifteen link chain that represented the fifteen states that were apart of the Union at the time of mintage. The Flowing Hair Chain Cent, while an important and rare piece in United States coinage history, was met with much skepticism during its time. Newspaper articles of the time criticized the bust of Liberty, notating her facial expression left her “in a fright” while others criticized the reverse design saying it was more symbolic of slavery than unity.