1794 1C Head of 1794, BN N1BN Certification #42781372, PCGS #901374

Charles Morgan

The "Three Heads" of 1794

The Liberty Cap Cent debuted at the end of 1793 and is the work of Robert Scot, who was appointed Chief Engraver of the United States Mint on November 23 of that year. Scot’s production process represented a significant advancement over the labor-intensive hand-engraving method used for the Chain and Wreath Cents. Rather than cutting each die individually by hand, Scot utilized a master hub to transfer the central image (Liberty’s portrait, her hair, the pileus (Liberty cap), and the pole) to the working dies. This same master image was also utilized for the Half Cents of the period. Minor variations in hair or cap detail between specific varieties typically resulted from the engraver hand-retouching the dies after the hubbing process. 

Because this early hubbing process often produced imperfect image transfers, the engraver was required to finish each die by hand. This manual touch, combined with the hand-punching of dates and lettering, bestowed a unique character upon every die. Consequently, identifying early U.S. die varieties is often possible with the naked eye, whereas modern, machine-made varieties typically require high magnification to discern. 

For the 1794-dated cents, three distinct head styles were employed: 

• The Head of 1793: A high-relief design carried over for varieties S-17 through S-20. 
• The Head of 1794: A lower-relief design that struck up more consistently; it encompasses the majority of the year’s production (S-21 through S-66, plus several Non-Collectible (NC) die marriages). 
• The Head of 1795: Notable for a stylistic change in Liberty’s hair, specifically the bottom curl looping upward. This style appears on varieties S-67 through S-72 and NC-2.

While the Head of 1794 represents the largest number of varieties and extant survivors, several specific die marriages within this group remain exceedingly rare.

1794 "Head of 1794" Varieties (Sheldon Numbers)

Pursuing a complete variety collection of 1794 Large Cents is among the most challenging endeavors for any devotee of early United States copper. Recently, prominent collectors Walter J. Husak and Al Boka championed this pursuit. The finest specimens of each variety have been intensely studied for decades, with many pedigrees tracing back to the late 19th century. Most notable are the well-preserved Mint State examples from the Lord St. Oswald Collection; these were purportedly acquired directly from the Mint in 1794 and remained in the family’s English estate until their landmark auction dispersal in 1964.

• 1794 1C S-21, Flat Pole (#35528) | Pole widens and flattens at its base; available in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-22, Bent Lock (#35531) | Bottom lock hooks sharply; available in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-23, Shattered Obverse (#35534) | Rare variety noted for its diagonal bisecting crack
• 1794 1C S-24 Apple Cheek (#35537) | Liberty's cheek shows a full, rounded appearance; Gem examples are available, with the finest recorded as a Superb Gem in Red Brown
• 1794 1C S-25, Severed Locks (#35540) | Unknown in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-26, Severed Locks (#35543) | Liberty's tresses and pronounced reverse die crack are key pick up points; two gems known
• 1794 1C S-27, Egeria (#35546) | Dr. Edward Maris named variety after Roman water nymph; unknown in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-28, Ornate Head (#35549) | Available in Mint State; "hotel find" is the finest known
• 1794 1C S-29, Ornate Head (#35552) | Lower locks terminate in a line, with a die crack running from the cap to the sixth lock; Mint State coins exist
• 1794 1C S-30, Marred Field (#35555) | Jagged mound behind hair, Liberty appears to smile; Mint State coins exist
• 1794 1C S-31, Marred Field (#35558) | Different obverse than S-61. Gem and Superb Gem Mint State coins known
• 1794 1C S-32, Venus Marina (#35561) | Beautiful execution of Liberty's portraits; available in Choice to Gem Mint State
• 1794 1C S-33, Wheel Spoke (#35564) | Thus called due to reverse die breaks; uknown finer than Very Fine
• 1794 1C S-34 (#35567) | Doubled fifth lock; fourth and sixth locks turn upward; rare
• 1794 1C S-35 (#35570) | Unknown in Mint State, census coins fall in the Extra Fine to About Uncirculated range
• 1794 1C S-36 (#35573) | Liberty sits low, nearly touching date; rare variety
• 1794 1C S-37, Steigerwalt (#35576) | Named after famous 19th-century collector; 2007 "Reunion" in St. Louis
• 1794 1C S-38, Marred Field (#35579) | Obverse field marred; single berry left of bow; One Mint State example known
• 1794 1C S-39, Marred Field (#35582) | Obverse field marred; unique pairing of Reverse N; About Uncirculated top pops
• 1794 1C S-40 (#35585) | Obverse field marred; bow high; Garrett and Lord St. Oswald examples in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-41, Abrupt Hair (#35588) | Locks at pole "abrupt"; narrow fraction bar
• 1794 1C S-42, Abrupt Hair (#35991) | Actually, first use of the S-41 obverse die. Pops top out at About Uncirculated
• 1794 1C S-43, Short Bust (#35594) | ANS example tops; rare in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-44, Short Bust (#35597) | Common short bust variety; Mint State  examples known
• 1794 1C S-45, The Plicae (#35600) | Liberty's tresses thick; Scarce variety; Bushnell example tops pop
• 1794 1C S-46, Crossed E (#35603) | Diagonal die crack through E in CENT; MS examples known
• 1794 1C S-47, Short Bust (#35606) | Rare variety; ANS example (About Uncirculated) is finest known
• 1794 1C S-48,  Starred Reverse (#35705) | Rare and coveted; unknown in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-49 (#35609) | Reworked obverse from S-48; About Uncirculated examples top the pops
• 1794 1C S-50, Young Head (#35612) | Rare variety, gaps between LI, BE, RTY; unknown in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-51, Long Locks (#35615) |  Scarce variety; census tops out in About Uncirculated
• 1794 1C S-52, Coquette (#35618) | 1 & 7 set far apart; rare variety unknown in high grade
• 1794 1C S-53, Severed Locks (#35621) | Severed 6th and hooked bottom lock; rare variety
• 1794 1C S-54, Slanting 7 (#35624) | canted digit; About Uncirculated examples top PCGS pops.
• 1794 1C S-55, Big Berries (#35627) | Bold beautiful berries; scarce in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-56, Office Boy Reverse (#35630) | Amateurish lettering; Garrett tops Mint State census
• 1794 1C S-57, Pyramidal Hair (#35633) | Lord St. Oswald Gem leads known Mint State examples
• 1794 1C S-58, Many-Haired (#35636) | Liberty's "clumpy" hair defines variety; rare in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-59, Many-Haired (#35639) | Two Gems from the Lord St. Oswald Collection (one in Red Brown!)
• 1794 1C S-60, Patagonian (#35642) | Mint State Lord St. Oswald example is sole finest.
• 1794 1C S-61, Patagonian (#35645) | Milton Holmes examples in Mint State Red Brown is sole finest.
• 1794 1C S-62, Trephined Head (#35648) | Commonly found with cud at 9 o'clock; rare in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-63, Fallen 4 (#35651) | Misplaced 9 gives 4 a fallen appearance; rare in Mint State
• 1794 1C S-64, No Fraction Bar (#35708) | Easily identified; Mint State examples known in Brown and a single Red Brown  
• 1794 1C S-65, Shielded Hair (#35654) | Thickly cut denticles protect hair; Choice Mint State examples known
• 1794 1C S-66, Split Pole (#35657) | Scarce variety; die crack "splits" pole at its base.

"Non-Collectible" (NC) Varieties

• 1794 1C NC-1 (#35660) |
• 1794 1C NC-2 (#35663) |
• 1794 1C NC-5 (#35666) | 
• 1794 1C NC-6 (#35669) |
• 1794 1C NC-8 (#35672) |
• 1794 1C NC-9 (#35679) | 
• 1794 1C NC-10 (#35678) |
• 1794 1C NC-11 (#35681) | 

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