1861 United States Cent Value
Depending on how well it survived, a 1861 United States Cent brings anywhere from its melt value to well into four figures. The figures below break the range down grade by grade.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1861 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.
Today's value of the 1861 United States Cent
The market for the 1861 United States Cent is driven by condition above all.
1861 United States Cent specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1861
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Cupronickel
- Weight
- 4.129 g
- Diameter
- 19 mm
Why there is no letter on this coin
The 1861 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 makes the 1861 United States Cent valuable
The 1861 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.
There is history in a 1861 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.
1861 United States Cent inscriptions & design
Obverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (date)
Liberty wearing Native American head dress.
Reverse
ONE CENT
value within wreath
Measured 1861 United States Cent specimens
7 physically measured 1861 United States Cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 4.129 g, 19 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1861 United States Cent #1 | 4.129 g | 19.2 mm | 12 h | Breen.8008 |
| 1861 United States Cent #2 | 3.907 g | 19.2 mm | 6 h | Breen.8008 |
| 1861 United States Cent #3 | 4.626 g | 19 mm | 6 h | KM.90 |
| 1861 United States Cent #4 | - | - | - | Breen.1949 |
| 1861 United States Cent #5 | - | - | - | Breen.1949 |
| 1861 United States Cent #6 | 4.331 g | 19 mm | 6 h | Breen.1949 |
| 1861 United States Cent #7 | - | 19 mm | - | Breen.8013 (fake) |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.