1846 Braided Hair Coronet Head Cent Base

About This Coin

The 1846 Braided Hair Coronet Head Cent Base is a United States cent from the Braided Hair Coronet Head Cents 1839-1857 series — 8th of 19 years in the series. In 1846, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 12.4 million. This ranks 17th of 19 years by total mintage, above the series median of 5.2 million. The obverse features Liberty facing left with braided hair swept up and held by a beaded cord, wearing a headband inscribed LIBERTY and the reverse displays a wreath enclosing ONE CENT. Small Date, Medium Date, and Tall Date varieties. Higher mintage year. Struck in copper, weighing 10.89 grams, 27.5 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Collectors have cataloged 12 known die varieties for this date. Produced 7 years after the celebrated 1839 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $30 to $1.4K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $31K in PR65 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Christian Gobrecht.