1793 1C AMERI., S-1, BN (Regular Strike)
Series: Flowing Hair Chain Cents 1793
PCGS MS61BN
AMERICA VS. AMERI COMPARISON
PCGS AU58BN
- PCGS #:
- 35432
- Designer:
- Attributed to Henry Voight
- Edge:
- Bars and Vines
- Diameter:
- 27.00 millimeters
- Weight:
- 13.48 grams
- Mintage:
- 36,103
- Mint:
- Philadelphia
- Metal:
- Copper
- Auction Record:
- $470,000 • MS61BN • 02-09-2016 • Stack's Bowers
Die Varieties
- 1793 1C AMERI., S-1, BN
Rarity and Survival Estimates Learn More
| Survival Estimate | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 200 |
| 60 or Better | 2 |
| 65 or Better | 1 |
| Numismatic Rarity | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | R-7.0 |
| 60 or Better | R-9.9 |
| 65 or Better | R-10.0 |
| Relative Rarity By Type All Specs in this Type | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 2 / 3 |
| 60 or Better | 1 / 3 TIE |
| 65 or Better | 1 / 3 TIE |
| Relative Rarity By Series All Specs in this Series | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 2 / 3 |
| 60 or Better | 1 / 3 TIE |
| 65 or Better | 1 / 3 TIE |
Condition Census What Is This?
#1 PCGS MS64+BN
Thomas L. Elder; Paul S. Seitz, August 4, 1947; R.E. “Ted” Naftzger, Jr., December 31, 1996; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger to Alan V. Weinberg, by sale, December 31, 1996. As PCGS MS64+BN 35744104. “The Alan V. Weinberg Collection, Part I,” Heritage Auctions, January 10, 2019, Lot 4032 – $1,500,000. Bluish-brown color overall. Hints of original Mint red in protecteded areas around the lettering and chain (amazing!). |
#2 PCGS MS63BN
"The George F. Seavey Collection," William H. Strobridge, 1873, Lot 204; Lorin G. Parmelee; "The M.A. Brown Collection," Samuel Hudson & Henry Chapman, April 1897, Lot 740; Édouard Frossard; "The Allison W. Jackman Collection," Henry Chapman, June 1918, Lot 683; Dr. Henry W. Beckwith; "The Howard Rounds Newcomb Collection," J.C. Morgenthau & Co., February 1945, Lot 1; F.C.C. Boyd; New Netherlands Coin Co., December 1957, Lot 879; "The Don Corrado Romano Collection," Stack's, June 1987, Lot 144; "The Andrew M. Hain Collection," Stack's, January 2002, Lot 725. As PCGS MS63BN #50042290. "The Eugene H. Gardner Collection," Heritage Auctions, June 23, 2014, Lot 30018 - $440,625. |
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#3 PCGS MS61BN
Edward Cogan; "The Thomas Cleneay Collection," Samuel Hudson & Henry Chapman, December 1890, Lot 1796 - $100; Samuel Hudson & Henry Chapman; "The John G. Mills Collection," Samuel Hudson & Henry Chapman, April 1904, Lot 1229 - $125; "The George H. Earle, Jr. Collection," Henry Chapman, June 1912, Lot 3351 - $80; Samuel Hudson Chapman; "The Carl Wurtzbach Collection," sold privately, en bloc, to Virgil M. Brand, May 25, 1919; Horace and Armin Brand, by descent, June 1926; Armin W. Brand, 1937; "The Virgil M. Brand Collection," sold privately, February 7, 1941; B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.), sold privately on February 21, 1944; Arthur E. Fritz; Rudolph Kohl; Federal Coin Exchange, Fixed Price List 1952, $1,200; Federal Coin Exchange, August 1954, Lot 1014 - $1,050; "The Dr. James O. Sloss Collection," sold privately, en bloc, to R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr., September 1958; "The Dr. James O. Closs Collection," A. Kosoff, October 1959, Lot 1 - $1,900; Dr. Herbert L. Ketterman, via Stack's; "Auction '84," RARCOA, August 1984, Lot 1507 - $29,700; Marvin Browder to Anthony Terranova; "The Dr. Haig Koshkarian Collection"; Anthony Terranova; "The Dr. Eugene Sherman Collection," February 1991; Anthony Terranvoa, by sale, December 1995; Bowers and Merena, January 2000, Lot 12; Chris Victor-McCawley; "The Richard Pearl Collection," via Chris Victor-McCawley; Christ Victor-McCawley, by sale, via Richard Burdick, March 2008; D. Brent Pogue. As PCGS MS61BN #32157249. "The D. Brent Pogue Collection," Stack's Bowers / Sotheby's, February 2016, Lot 3012 - $470,000. |
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#4 PCGS AU58BN
Sotheby Parke Bernet, November 1974, Lot 59; Mike Brownleel Ken Goldman; Julian Leidman and Stanley Kesselman; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr., December 1986; "The Herman Halpern Collection," Stack's, March 1988, Lot 1; Anthony Terranova; Bowers & Merena; Heritage Auctions, October 1990, Lot 452; Anthony Terranova, November 1990. As NGC MS62BN. "The Dr. Haig Koshkarian," American Numismatic Rarities, March 2004, Lot 7 - $218,500. As PCGS AU58BN #1366793. "The Dan Holmes Collection," Goldberg Auctioneers, September 2009, Lot 1 - $368,000; "The Collections of Walter J. Husak and the Liberty Cap Foundation," Heritage Auctions, January 4, 2024, Lot 2001 - $348,000; Jay Parrino; "The St. Jude Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Early die state. Some accounts state that the coin was discovered in Europe. In the Husak sale of 2001, an account credited to David Tripp states that coin was dropped off along with a group of miscellaneous coins and tokens at Bernet's office by a Manhattan woman. |
| #4 PCGS AU58BN |
| #4 PCGS AU58BN |
#7 PCGS AU55BN
"The John L. Roper Second Collection," Stack's, December 1983, Lot 442; "Auction '88," Superior, July 1988, Lot 15; Stack's, January 2007, Lot 5436; Anthony Terranova; Walter J. Husak. As PCGS AU53 #26772303. "The Paul Gerrie Collection," Goldberg Auctioneers, February 2013, Lot 1 - $143,750; Chris Victor-McCawley; "The ESM Collection," Stack's Bowers, August 2020, Lot 1001 - $132,000. As PCGS AU55 #46446440. Heritage Auctions, April 30, 2025, Lot 3113 - $186,000; Heritage Auctions, January 14, 2026, Lot 3030 - $146,400. |
#7 PCGS AU55BN
"The Hon. Heman Ely Collection," W. Elliot Woodward, January 1884, Lot 662; Dr. George W. Massamore; T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett, 1919; John Work Garrett; Johns Hopkins University, by donation; "The Garrett Collection," Bowers and Ruddy, November 1979, lot 52; Stanley J. Richmond, May 1981; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr., circa 1998. As PCGS AU55 #35744100. "The Alan V. Weinberg Collection, Part I," Heritage Auctions, January 10, 2019, Lot 4311 - $228,000; Jay Parrino; "The St. Jude Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). |
#7 PCGS AU55BN
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#7 PCGS AU55BN
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| #7 PCGS AU55BN |
| #7 PCGS AU55BN |
| #7 PCGS AU55BN |
The 1793 Chain Cent, AMERI. Sheldon-1
The 1793 Chain Cent, occasionally referred to as the “Link” Cent in 19th-century numismatic literature, was the first regular-issue one-cent coin produced by the United States Mint. Struck at the first Philadelphia Mint facility and most likely included in the March 1 delivery, it holds the distinction of being the first federal coin struck for circulation.
While the dies were executed by Henry Voigt (sometimes spelled Voight), the first Chief Coiner, the obverse was inspired by the Libertas Americana medal designed by the famed French engraver Augustin Dupré. The obverse depicts Liberty with "flowing" hair, the inscription LIBERTY above, and the date 1793 below the bust truncation.
The reverse displays a chain of 15 interlocking links, symbolizing the 15 states in the Union in 1793, which encloses the denomination ONE CENT. The legend is spelled UNITED STATES OF AMERI. on the Sheldon-1 and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on Sheldon-2 through Sheldon-4. This inscription encircles the central motif clockwise from the top of the coin.
The design was poorly received by the public. Critics decried the reverse as "Liberty in chains," perhaps a subtle nod to the ongoing slave trade or a more general fear of federal overreach. A contemporary report from Newark noted:
"The American Cents... do not answer our expectations. The chain on the reverse is but a bad omen for liberty, and Liberty herself appears to be in a fright."
A similar sentiment appeared in the March 18, 1793, edition of Philadelphia’s The Mail, which stated:
"The chain on the reverse is but a bad omen for liberty."
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1793 Chain Cent Deliveries |
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| March 1, 1793 | 11,178 delivered | March 2, 1793 | 2,009 delivered |
| March 4, 1793 | 4,000 delivered | March 5, 1793 | 3,765 delivered |
| March 6, 1793 | 1,573 delivered | March 8, 1793 | 7,000 delivered |
| March 8, 1793 | 7,000 delivered | March 9, 1793 | 1,000 delivered |
| March 12, 1793 | 5,578 delivered | Total: 36,103 coins | |
Over the twelve-day production period, 36,103 pieces were struck using five distinct die combinations. The initial delivery on March 1 largely consisted of the AMERI. variety (S-1). The subsequent four varieties utilized a reverse die where "AMERICA" was spelled out in full. These inaugural coins were struck in relatively low relief; their successor, the Wreath cent, would feature a more robust, higher-relief design.
Ameri. (S-1) Die Chararacteristics
Rarity 4. Wide date on the obverse. LIBERTY is evenly spaced and positioned equidistant between the top of Liberty’s head and the rim. The lowest lock of hair points directly down toward the 1 in the date. This obverse die was also utilized for the Sheldon-2 die pairing. This is the only use of the reverse die featuring the AMERI. abbreviation.
In Die State Noyes A/B (Breen III), a light crack appears at the upper left of the first T in STATES, with a light bulge at the border above the U in UNITED. A separate bulge appears at the lower border through the 1 in the date. There are an estimated 118–158 specimens extant. Later die states exhibit swelling under the U on the reverse and a cud that forms above TAT in STATES.
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