Coronet Head Cent
Coronet Head Cents:
The early designs of these Large Cents did not have the beauty of the coins from Europe. Nor did they have the stability of worldwide acceptance either. Robert Scot was asked to try his hand at this once again. So, Scot decided to take Miss Liberty in a different direction. His depiction of her disappointed those who were hoping for a beautiful Miss Liberty. Once again, she looked older, heavier, and less friendly than ever. Her hair was no longer in a headband. Instead, she wore a “Coronet” in her hair, a type of crown.
Her coronet was inscribed with the word “LIBERTY” in relief across it. Miss Liberty was surrounded by 13 stars and the date was directly beneath her. The reverse remained largely unchanged with “ONE CENT” in 2 lines in the center of the wreath on the reverse with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” around the wreath.
There are numerous varieties within this series – 13 stars, 15 stars, 13 stars once again, overdates, large and small dates and small, medium, and large letters. The truly rare date of this series is any coin dated 1823. That year there were 3/2 overdates, a m=normal date and an unofficial restrike struck from a broken obverse die. That is why a collection of this series alone is so interesting and can be challenging to complete.