1796 United States Coin Value
Depending on how well it survived, a 1796 United States Coin brings anywhere from its melt value to well into four figures. Where your coin lands depends on wear, strike and surface quality.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1796 United States Coin 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 Coin worth today?
The market for the 1796 United States Coin is driven by condition above all.
1796 United States Coin specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1796
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Copper
- Weight
- 11.222 g
Reading a coin with no mint mark
No mint mark is the mark here: the 1796 United States Coin comes from the main Philadelphia Mint, which left its coins unlettered in this era. The position where branch mints placed their letter (varies by series) is simply blank.
What makes the 1796 United States Coin valuable
Documented examples of the 1796 United States Coin in our reference database anchor what we know about this issue. Mintage records are incomplete, so collector demand and surviving population drive its market.
Context adds the final layer to the 1796 United States Coin. 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.
1796 United States Coin inscriptions & design
Obverse
LIBERTY / (date)
Liberty bust right, stars flanking
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Eagle in wreath
Measured 1796 United States Coin specimens
5 physically measured 1796 United States Coin examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 11.222 g, mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1796 United States Coin #1 | - | - | - | Valentine.1796.1 |
| 1796 United States Coin #2 | 8.097 g | - | 12 h | - |
| 1796 United States Coin #3 | 11.673 g | - | 12 h | - |
| 1796 United States Coin #4 | 11.404 g | - | 12 h | - |
| 1796 United States Coin #5 | 11.222 g | - | 12 h | - |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.