1857 Braided Hair Coronet Head Cent Base
Base
About This Coin
The 1857 Braided Hair Coronet Head Cent Base is a United States cent from the Braided Hair Coronet Head Cents 1839-1857 series — the final year of the series. In 1857, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 667,150. This represents the second-lowest annual mintage in the series, below 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. Final year of the large cent denomination. Rising copper prices and the impracticality of the large coin ended 64 years of large cent production. Struck in copper, weighing 10.89 grams, 27.5 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $217 to $1.9K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $18K in PCGS Genuine grade at eBay. 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.
