1857 Braided Hair Half Cent
Base
About This Coin
The 1857 Braided Hair Half Cent is a United States cent from the Braided Hair Half Cents 1840-1857 series — the final year of the series. In 1857, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 35,446. This ranks 11th of 18 years by total mintage, above the series median of 56. 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 5.44 grams, 23 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $91 to $6.3K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $12K in PR65+ 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.
