Braided Hair cents refine Liberty's coronet portrait through the final nineteen years of large-cent production, ending when the smaller copper-nickel cent replaced bulky pure copper.

This guide covers Philadelphia large cents dated 1839–1857, including portrait, date-size, numeral, letter-size, and overdate records in the normalized catalog.

Core specifications

Issue period
1839–1857
Catalog mints
1
Reported catalog mintage
70,916,803
Composition
100% Copper
Diameter
28.5 mm
Weight
10.89 g

A mature design reaches the limit of intrinsic copper

The Braided Hair portrait created a more polished final form for the large cent while retaining its wreath reverse and full copper size.

As copper costs and public convenience worked against the bulky format, the Mint moved to a much smaller copper-nickel cent in 1857. The final large-cent date is therefore also a transition year.

Obverse, reverse, and the details that identify the type

Confirm the major design, date, and mint mark before studying smaller die differences.

The main portrait and date

Liberty faces left with braided hair and a coronet reading LIBERTY; portrait style and date punches distinguish many subtypes.

Denomination, subject, and mint mark

A wreath encloses ONE CENT, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim and 1/100 below.

Where the cataloged coins were made

Totals are calculated from reported issue records in this catalog; unknown figures are not counted as zero.

  • P — Philadelphia: 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848, 1849, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857; 70,916,803. Philadelphia issues commonly carry no P mint mark in classic series; confirm the expected blank area rather than searching for a letter.

Representative issues that explain the series

A common middle-date coin shows the mature design; date-size and numeral varieties add depth before the 1857 finale.

  • 1839 P — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1843 P - Mature - Large Letters — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1851 P - 51 Over 81 — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1856 P - Slanted 5 — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1857 P - Small Date — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.

Issue catalog

1839 P Braided Hair Cent1840 P Braided Hair Cent - All Varieties1840 P Braided Hair Cent - Large Date1840 P Braided Hair Cent - Small Date1840 P Braided Hair Cent - Small Date Over Large 181841 P Braided Hair Cent - Small Date1842 P Braided Hair Cent - All Varieties1842 P Braided Hair Cent - Large Date1842 P Braided Hair Cent - Small Date1843 P Braided Hair Cent - All Varieties1843 P Braided Hair Cent - Mature - Large Letters1843 P Braided Hair Cent - Petite - Large Letters1843 P Braided Hair Cent - Petite - Small Letters1844 P Braided Hair Cent - Normal Date1844 P Braided Hair Cent - 44 Over 811845 P Braided Hair Cent1846 P Braided Hair Cent - All Varieties1846 P Braided Hair Cent - Medium Date1846 P Braided Hair Cent - Small Date1846 P Braided Hair Cent - Tall Date1847 P Braided Hair Cent - Normal Date1847 P Braided Hair Cent - 7 Over Small 71848 P Braided Hair Cent1849 P Braided Hair Cent1850 P Braided Hair Cent1851 P Braided Hair Cent - Normal Date1851 P Braided Hair Cent - 51 Over 811852 P Braided Hair Cent1853 P Braided Hair Cent1854 P Braided Hair Cent1855 P Braided Hair Cent - All Varieties1855 P Braided Hair Cent - Slanted 5s1855 P Braided Hair Cent - Slanted 5s - Knob on Ear1855 P Braided Hair Cent - Upright 5s1856 P Braided Hair Cent - All Varieties1856 P Braided Hair Cent - Slanted 51856 P Braided Hair Cent - Upright 51857 P Braided Hair Cent - All Varieties1857 P Braided Hair Cent - Large Date1857 P Braided Hair Cent - Small Date

From one type coin to a complete catalog

  • One representative coin: Choose one problem-free, readable example and learn the size, edge, and major design.
  • Major-type set: Use one coin per major design to show changes in artwork, composition, or production.
  • Dates and mints: Work through the issue catalog by date and mint, defining special finishes separately.

A note on catalog records

This page uses 40 issue records, 0 modeled varieties, and currently reported mintages; unknown values remain unknown.

Sources

  1. History of U.S. Circulating Coins — United States Mint
  2. Penny: Designs and History — United States Mint
  3. Braided Hair Cent category reference — PCGS CoinFacts