1793-1796 Liberty Cap - More Details

Be careful with this one, you could be fooled. The Liberty Cap motif that made its appearance in late 1793 and continued through 1796, was the same motif used later on 1794-1797 half cents. The motif features Miss Liberty facing to the right, a liberty cap on pole behind her head, LIBERTY above, and the date below. The reverse displays an open wreath enclosing ONE CENT, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the fraction 1/100 surrounding. 1793 Liberty Cap cents have a beaded border, while those dated from 1794 through 1796 have denticles. The edges of 1793, 1794, and some 1795 pieces are lettered ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR, while later issues have a plain edge.

It is relatively easy to find a design type in grades Good through Fine in pieces dated 1794,1795 or 1796. The 1793 Liberty Cap cents are much rarer and more expensive. In higher grades, Extremely Fine to Uncirculated, pieces dated 1795 are more readily available than those dated 1794 or 1796, with 1796 cents closely following.

Because the number of die varieties were vast in this design, the sharpness of strike, planchet quality, and surface characteristics vary widely among cents of this style, so some searching may be needed to find one that is "just right."