Draped Bust Cent

1796 - 1807

Specimens Now Available on eBay

Any Draped Bust Cent you can acquire, regardless of condition, is an artifact of the difficulties and challenges of the early years at the Philadelphia Mint.

Designed by Robert Scot, a controversial figure of questionable skill, these coins were of inconsistent quality. Balky mint equipment, the variable purity of the copper blanks (“planchets”), poorly defined operational procedures – even the Philadelphia climate – influenced the final product.

In consequence, these pieces radiate the non-standard hand wrought quality typical of the fledgling mint, so prized by collectors, fascinating to numismatists, and less encountered in the greater efficiency and larger mintages of later years.

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