1794 United States Cent Value

Expect a 1794 United States Cent to trade between about its melt value and well into four figures, driven almost entirely by grade. See the grade table below for exactly where your coin falls.

Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.

1794 United States Cent value by grade

1794 United States Cent value by grade
GradeEstimated value

Estimated retail range. Estimates are modeled from mintage rarity and metal content, not auction records. Actual sale prices vary with certification, eye appeal and market timing.

What is a 1794 United States Cent worth right now?

Pricing for the 1794 United States Cent depends on grade and current collector demand.

1794 United States Cent specifications

Series
United States Coinage
Year
1794
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
Copper
Weight
10.59 g
Diameter
29 mm

Why this coin has no mint mark

The 1794 United States Cent comes from Philadelphia, which struck coins without a mint mark. If the spot where branch-mint coins show a letter is empty on your 1794, that is exactly as it should be.

What makes the 1794 United States Cent valuable

Context adds the final layer to the 1794 United States Cent. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. Owning this date means owning a piece of that story, and demand for the series as a whole sustains liquidity for every issue in it.

For the 1794 United States Cent, surviving examples tell the story that mint records do not. Museum-documented specimens define the issue for collectors.

1794 United States Cent inscriptions & design

Obverse

LIBERTY 1794

Liberty head, r., cap on pole l. behind

Reverse

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ONE CENT; 1/100

wreath

Measured 1794 United States Cent specimens

12 physically measured 1794 United States Cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 10.59 g, 29 mm minting standard.

Measured 1794 United States Cent specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1794 United States Cent #110.59 g29 mm-Breen.1032, Whitman.8587
1794 United States Cent #29.99 g29 mm-Breen.1032, Whitman.8580
1794 United States Cent #310.33 g29 mm-Breen.1029, Whitman.8570
1794 United States Cent #410.4 g29 mm-Breen.1029, Whitman.8570
1794 United States Cent #59.38 g29 mm-Breen.1029, Whitman.8570
1794 United States Cent #613.521 g28 mm-Sheldon.36, Breen.1662, dies 15-M, Hays.31
1794 United States Cent #713.865 g28 mm-Sheldon.39, Breen.1668, dies 17-N, Hays.40
1794 United States Cent #813.291 g28 mm-Sheldon.43, Breen.1668, dies 19-R, Hays.34
1794 United States Cent #913.586 g28 mm-Sheldon.53, Breen.1668, dies 25-X, Hays.58
1794 United States Cent #1013.714 g28 mm-Sheldon.68, Breen.1669, dies 35-II, Hays.55
1794 United States Cent #1113.661 g29.5 mm6 hSheldon.22, Breen.1668
1794 United States Cent #1213.531 g28 mm-Sheldon.27, Breen.1659, dies 9-G, Hays.25

Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.