1851 Braided Hair Coronet Head Cent Base
Base
About This Coin
The 1851 Braided Hair Coronet Head Cent Base is a United States cent from the Braided Hair Coronet Head Cents 1839-1857 series — 13th of 19 years in the series. In 1851, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 19.8 million. This represents the highest annual mintage in the entire series, 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. The 1851/81 overdate is notable. High mintage year. Struck in copper, weighing 10.89 grams, 27.5 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $50 to $1.9K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $11K in MS67 grade at Legend Rare Coin Auctions. Designed by Christian Gobrecht.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
