1803 United States Cent Value
Today a 1803 United States Cent typically sells for its melt value to well into four figures, with condition doing most of the work. Where your coin lands depends on wear, strike and surface quality.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1803 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 1803 United States Cent worth today?
The market for the 1803 United States Cent is driven by condition above all.
1803 United States Cent specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1803
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Copper
- Weight
- 10.813 g
- Diameter
- 28 mm
Reading a coin with no mint mark
Philadelphia struck the 1803 United States Cent, and Philadelphia coins of this period carry no mint mark at all. An empty space at the usual mint mark position (see the series guide) confirms a Philadelphia strike, not a flaw.
What makes the 1803 United States Cent valuable
The 1803 United States Cent lacks precise production records, so its value rests on demonstrated rarity: how often examples surface at auction and how they compare to documented specimens.
Context adds the final layer to the 1803 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.
1803 United States Cent inscriptions & design
Obverse
LIBERTY 1803
Liberty bust, r.
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ONE CENT; 1/100
wreath
Measured 1803 United States Cent specimens
12 physically measured 1803 United States Cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 10.813 g, 28 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1803 United States Cent #1 | 10.412 g | 29 mm | 6 h | Brunk.not, Sheldon.243, Breen.1751 |
| 1803 United States Cent #2 | 10.813 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.251, Breen.1754, N.9, dies 5-I |
| 1803 United States Cent #3 | 10.902 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.251, Breen.1754, N.9, dies 5-I |
| 1803 United States Cent #4 | 11.227 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.255, Breen.1754, N.13, dies 9-K |
| 1803 United States Cent #5 | - | - | - | Sheldon.243, Breen.1751 |
| 1803 United States Cent #6 | - | - | - | Sheldon.243, Breen.1751 |
| 1803 United States Cent #7 | - | - | - | Sheldon.247, Breen.1754 |
| 1803 United States Cent #8 | - | - | - | Sheldon.248, Breen.1754 |
| 1803 United States Cent #9 | - | - | - | Sheldon.253, Breen.1754 |
| 1803 United States Cent #10 | - | - | - | Sheldon.254, Breen.1754 |
| 1803 United States Cent #11 | - | - | - | Sheldon.256, Breen.1754 |
| 1803 United States Cent #12 | - | - | - | Sheldon.256, Breen.1754 |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.