The chain cent was

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

's first

large cent The United States large cent was a coin with a face value of 1/100 of a United States dollar. Its nominal diameter was 1 inch (28.57 mm). The first official mintage of the large cent was in 1793, and its production continued until 1857, whe ...

and the first circulating coin officially produced by the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

. It was struck only during 1793. It was not the first circulating coin produced by the United States, which was the Fugio cent of 1787 (also known as the Franklin cent), based on the

Continental dollar Early American currency went through several stages of development during the colonial and post-Revolutionary history of the United States. John Hull was authorized by the Massachusetts legislature to make the earliest coinage of the colony (th ...

. As with the Fugio cent, the Chain cent was made of copper and featured a chain symbolizing the linking together of the states of the United States.

Obverse design

The

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...

design consisted of a stylized

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

head with flowing hair. The inscription "LIBERTY" appeared above the portrait, and the date below. The design was rather sparse and empty compared to those that would come later.

Reverse design

The reverse's central design figure, for which the coin is named, is an interlocking

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. ...

with 15 links, representing the 15 American states in existence at that time. Both the words "ONE CENT" and the fraction "1/100" appear within the chain. Along the outer edge is inscribed "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". On the first working

die Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...

, the engraver failed to allow adequate room for the entire inscription, and it had to be abbreviated to "UNITED STATES OF AMERI.". These early dies were cut by hand, rather than being made from master hubs as is the practice today. (It is also said that the abbreviation was ordered by Mint Director

David Rittenhouse David Rittenhouse (April 8, 1732 – June 26, 1796) was an American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman, and public official. Rittenhouse was a member of the American Philosophical Society a ...

in an attempt to "balance" the designs of the obverse and reverse).

Edge

The edge of these coins is decorated with bars and vines with leaves.

Public reaction

Chain cents were struck during late February and early March 1793; records indicate that approximately 36,103 were produced. However, the public reaction to the coins was largely unfavorable. One newspaper criticized the appearance of the Liberty head, saying that it appeared to be "in a fright". And, while the reverse chain had been intended to symbolize the unity of the newly formed Union (similar iconography had been utilized on the reverse of the earlier Fugio Cent and Revolutionary War era

Continental currency Early American currency went through several stages of development during the colonial and post-Revolutionary history of the United States. John Hull was authorized by the Massachusetts legislature to make the earliest coinage of the colony (th ...

), many commentators instead interpreted it as representative of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. By March, the Mint had run out of

planchet A planchet is a round metal disk that is ready to be struck as a coin. An older word for planchet is flan. They are also referred to as blanks. History The preparation of the flan or planchet has varied over the years. In ancient times, the f ...

s, which temporarily halted striking. During this time, a new design – the

Wreath cent The Wreath cent was an American large cent. It was the second design type, following the Chain cent in 1793. It was produced only during that year. Obverse design The obverse design consisted of a stylized Liberty head with flowing hair. The ins ...

– was quickly prepared and approved.

Collecting

As a one-year only type coin and the first

business strike A circulation issue or circulation coin,_ (1988). ''The American Coin Redesign Act'', Volume 4, by United States Congress Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. sometimes called a business strike (US), is a coin minted and issued f ...

cent, the Chain cent has always been in demand, both by collectors of large cents, as well as type collectors. Struck for about two weeks from late February until early March 1793, only about 1,000 coins are known to exist today, and even coins in the lowest grades still sell for thousands of dollars.

References

External links

The First Cent Coinage

Chain cent sold at auction

One Cent 1793 Flowing Hair, Chain Reverse
Detailed information, photos of varieties. {{Coinage (United States) 1793 introductions One-cent coins of the United States Goddess of Liberty on coins