Owner Comments:
Complaints about the design of the Wreath cents prompted the introduction of the Liberty Cap cents in the fall of 1793. This design silenced the critics and allowed the first mint to produce 918 thousand large cents in 1794. The 1795 mintage was curtailed, however, as the mint turned its limited production capacity to silver and gold coinage. Finally in October, the first got back to producing half cents and large cents.
The first 1795 cents were struck on thick planchets with lettered edges. In late December rises the cost of copper prompted a decrease in the weight of the cent from 13.48 grams to 10.89 grams. The lighter coins had the same diameter, but were not as thick. As a result it was no longer practical to place edge lettering on the coins. During the period from December 28 to 31, 1795, the mint cracked out an additional 45,000 cents. This 1795 cent was probably one of them since it is an early die state of the Sheldon 76b variety. During the first three months of 1796 the mint produced an additional 456,500 cents was that bore the 1795 date bring the total production to 501,500 cents.
These cents were among the last pieces that made on American made planchets. The mint had considerable trouble finding copper and producing planchets in the early years. These challenges prompted the agency to buy planchets from England. The mint produced planchets often had defects which affected the quality of the coins. The piece you see here was stuck on the best quality planchet that the first mint had to offer at the time.
The Sheldon 76b cent is common variety, but few of the surviving pieces are equal in quality to this example. As such this piece is among the highlights of my collection.