1861 CSA Original Cent

Coin Details

Auction Record

$216,000 SP63 05-12-2024 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1861 Confederate States of America Original Cent is one of the most storied coins in American numismatics, representing the only cent denomination produced under the authority of the Confederate government. Struck at the Philadelphia firm of Robert Lovett Jr., who was engaged by the Confederate Treasury to produce a distinctive one-cent piece for the fledgling nation, this coin was never officially released into circulation. Lovett designed and struck approximately 12 original cents in copper-nickel before growing fearful that his work for the Confederacy would be discovered by Union authorities. He concealed the dies and the struck pieces, and the coins remained hidden until 1873 when Lovett accidentally spent one of the original cents at a Philadelphia tavern. The coin was recognized as unusual by a collector, leading to the eventual rediscovery of both the coins and the original dies. The obverse features a Liberty head facing left, inspired by classical French coinage designs, surrounded by 13 stars representing the Confederate states. The reverse displays a wreath of agricultural products — cotton, tobacco, corn, and wheat — encircling the denomination "1 CENT" with "CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA" around the periphery. The design symbolizes the agricultural economy that the Confederacy sought to protect. Only 12 original copper-nickel specimens have been struck, making this among the rarest and most valuable coins in all of American numismatics. The Lovett cent stands as a tangible artifact of the Confederate government’s ambitions to establish a complete monetary system independent of the United States.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Only 12 original copper-nickel specimens believed struck by Robert Lovett Jr. in 1861. One of the most famous rarities in American numismatics, with individual examples selling for six figures at auction.