Classic Head cents use John Reich's youthful Liberty portrait across seven dates, with overdates and numeral styles adding depth to a compact Philadelphia series.

This guide covers Philadelphia large cents dated 1808–1814, including the recorded 1810 and 1811 overdates and 1814 Plain and Crosslet 4 issues.

Core specifications

Issue period
1808–1814
Catalog mints
1
Reported catalog mintage
4,757,722
Composition
100% Copper
Diameter
29 mm
Weight
10.89 g

Seven dates between two long copper designs

The Classic Head cent replaced Draped Bust in 1808 and used a fillet portrait related to contemporary half cents.

Planchet and striking quality can vary substantially, so a full reading of the coin includes color, surface texture, centering, and die state—not only the date.

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 wearing a fillet marked LIBERTY, with stars around the field and the date below.

Denomination, subject, and mint mark

A wreath encloses ONE CENT, surrounded by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the fraction 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: 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814; 4,757,722. 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

Seven dates make the basic outline easy to understand, while 1811 and important numeral varieties raise the difficulty of a complete set.

  • 1808 P — 1,007,000. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1809 P — 222,867. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1811 P - All Varieties — 218,025. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1813 P — 418,000. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1814 P - Crosslet 4 — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.

Issue catalog

1808 P Classic Head Cent1809 P Classic Head Cent1810 P Classic Head Cent - All Varieties1810 P Classic Head Cent - Normal Date1810 P Classic Head Cent - 10 Over 091811 P Classic Head Cent - All Varieties1811 P Classic Head Cent - Normal Date1811 P Classic Head Cent - Last 1 Over 01812 P Classic Head Cent - All Varieties1812 P Classic Head Cent - Small Date1812 P Classic Head Cent - Large Date1813 P Classic Head Cent1814 P Classic Head Cent - All Varieties1814 P Classic Head Cent - Plain 41814 P Classic Head Cent - Crosslet 4

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 15 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. Classic Head Cent category reference — PCGS CoinFacts