Bill Jones' Large Cent Type Set
1C CLASSIC HEAD (1808-1814)

Owner Comments:

Assistant mint engraver John Reich’s “fat mistress” made her debut on the cent in 1808. For many years collectors have claimed that the copper that was used for these Classic Head cents was softer than the metal used for the previous and subsequent issues. The truth is that the overall mintages were lower, which made this design harder to find than the other cents of this era.

The 1814 cent is the most common date of this type. Oddly coins in the middle grades from Fine through EF are somewhat scarce. Most often this coin is found in either low grade (Good or VG) with problems on in AU or low end Mint State.