Draped Bust Large Cent

The Draped Bust large cent succeeded the Liberty Cap design in 1796 and carried the young United States Mint's copper cent coinage into the early 1800s. Its refined, classical portrait of Liberty marked a stylistic step up from the more rustic early cent designs.

Collectors value the series both as an early type coin representing the formative years of American coinage and as a rich field for die-variety specialists, since hand-engraved dies of this era produced numerous distinguishable varieties within single dates.

The design is based on a pencil sketch by portraitist Gilbert Stuart, adapted for coinage by Mint engraver Robert Scot. It debuted on the silver dollar and other denominations in 1795–1796 before being applied to the large cent, replacing the Liberty Cap type in 1796.

These cents were struck during the presidencies of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, a period when the Mint operated with limited equipment and hand-cut dies, resulting in considerable variation in strike quality, letter spacing, and die states from coin to coin.

The obverse depicts Liberty in profile facing right, her hair loosely gathered and draped fabric over her shoulder, with LIBERTY above and the date below. Stars representing the states flank the portrait.

The reverse shows a wreath, tied with a ribbon, encircling ONE CENT, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the border and, on some early varieties, a fraction (1/100) below the wreath. The coin is a large copper piece, roughly 28–29 millimeters across.

Collectors distinguish this type from the later Classic Head or Coronet cents by the draped, classical bust style and by border and letter details cataloged extensively by early copper specialists; many individual die marriages are known within the 1796–1807 date range.

Because the coins are over two centuries old and were struck with primitive equipment, well-preserved examples are scarce, and condition has an outsized effect on value. Even lower grades are collectible given the coin's age and historical importance.

Certain dates and die varieties are notably scarcer than others and draw strong interest from early American copper specialists, sometimes bringing prices well above typical common-date levels. Surface problems such as corrosion, porosity, or old cleaning are common on coins this old and significantly reduce desirability.