1797 United States Cent Value
A 1797 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.
1797 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 1797 United States Cent worth today?
Pricing for the 1797 United States Cent depends on grade and current collector demand.
1797 United States Cent specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1797
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Copper
- Weight
- 11.22 g
- Diameter
- 30 mm
No mint mark? Here is why
The 1797 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 1797 United States Cent
Documented examples of the 1797 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.
Context adds the final layer to the 1797 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.
1797 United States Cent inscriptions & design
Obverse
LIBERTY 1797
Liberty bust, r.
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ONE CENT; 1/100
wreath
Measured 1797 United States Cent specimens
12 physically measured 1797 United States Cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 11.22 g, 30 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1797 United States Cent #1 | 11.22 g | 30 mm | 6 h | Sheldon.120b, Breen.1701 |
| 1797 United States Cent #2 | - | - | - | Sheldon.130, Breen.1711 |
| 1797 United States Cent #3 | - | - | - | Sheldon.130, Breen.1711 |
| 1797 United States Cent #4 | - | - | - | Sheldon.131, Breen.1712 |
| 1797 United States Cent #5 | - | - | - | Sheldon.132, Breen.1712 |
| 1797 United States Cent #6 | - | - | - | Sheldon.137, Breen.1706 |
| 1797 United States Cent #7 | - | - | - | Sheldon.141, Breen.1711 |
| 1797 United States Cent #8 | - | - | - | Sheldon.131, Breen.1712 |
| 1797 United States Cent #9 | - | - | - | Sheldon.120NC1, Breen.1703 |
| 1797 United States Cent #10 | - | - | - | Sheldon.120a, Breen.1700 |
| 1797 United States Cent #11 | - | - | - | Sheldon.121b, Breen.1702 |
| 1797 United States Cent #12 | - | - | - | Sheldon.122, Breen.1711 |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.