1793-1857 Large Penny

America’s first Penny coin was about the size of a Half Dollar! Known as the Large Penny, it was so big because it actually contained one penny’s worth of solid copper. It was also one of the first coins ever struck by the new United States Mint in 1793. The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Liberty surrounded by 13 stars (representing the original 13 states), while the reverse shows the denomination within a wreath.

The last Large Penny was minted in 1857, and like coins from the 19th century, these are becoming rarer and more desirable every day. Very few have survived for today’s collectors. The total mintage of all Large Pennies in the 64 years from 1793 to 1857 is about equal to the number of modern Lincoln Pennies struck every six days!

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