1796 United States Cent Value
A 1796 United States Cent is worth roughly its melt value to well into four figures depending on its condition. Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1796 United States Cent value by grade
| Grade | Estimated 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.
How much is a 1796 United States Cent worth today?
Pricing for the 1796 United States Cent depends on grade and current collector demand.
1796 United States Cent specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1796
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Copper
- Weight
- 10.842 g
- Diameter
- 28 mm
No mint mark? Here is why
The 1796 United States Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which used no mint mark in this era. If you find no letter where branch-mint coins carry one (check the usual position for this series), you are holding a Philadelphia issue.
What collectors pay for in a 1796 United States Cent
Documented examples of the 1796 United States Cent in our reference database anchor what we know about this issue. Mintage records are incomplete, so collector demand and surviving population drive its market.
There is history in a 1796 United States Coinage as well. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. That backdrop keeps the series among the most actively collected in American numismatics.
1796 United States Cent inscriptions & design
Obverse
LIBERTY 1796
Liberty head, r., cap on pole l. behind
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ONE CENT; 1/100
wreath
Measured 1796 United States Cent specimens
12 physically measured 1796 United States Cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 10.842 g, 28 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1796 United States Cent #1 | 10.831 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.95, Breen.1690, Gilbert.34, CN.27, dies 8-L |
| 1796 United States Cent #2 | 10.509 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.101, Breen.1685, Gilbert.24, CN.22, dies 11-S |
| 1796 United States Cent #3 | - | - | - | Sheldon.91, Breen.1682 |
| 1796 United States Cent #4 | - | - | - | Sheldon.98, Breen.1688 |
| 1796 United States Cent #5 | - | - | - | Sheldon.104, Breen.1698 |
| 1796 United States Cent #6 | - | - | - | Sheldon.119, Breen.1699 |
| 1796 United States Cent #7 | - | - | - | Sheldon.87, Breen.1681 |
| 1796 United States Cent #8 | - | - | - | Sheldon.81, Breen.1683 |
| 1796 United States Cent #9 | - | - | - | Sheldon.82, Breen.1683 |
| 1796 United States Cent #10 | - | - | - | Sheldon.83, Breen.1682 |
| 1796 United States Cent #11 | - | - | - | Sheldon.84, Breen.1681 |
| 1796 United States Cent #12 | - | - | - | Sheldon.85, Breen.1681 |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.