The ring cent or holey cent was a one-cent

pattern coin A pattern coin is a coin which has not been approved for release, but produced to evaluate a proposed coin design. They are often off-metal strike (using metals of lower value to test out the dies), to proof standard or piedforts. Many coin co ...

first struck in various compositions and designs between 1850 and 1851 as part of an experiment on producing a cent with a reduced weight and diameter, as the rising price of copper had caused cents to cost more than their face value to produce. Many varieties exist, with differing designs as well as differing compositions, including billon (standard),

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

cupronickel Cupronickel or copper–nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper with nickel, usually along with small quantities of other metals added for strength, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. ( Monel is a n ...

nickel silver Nickel silver, maillechort, German silver, argentan, new silver, nickel brass, albata, or alpacca is a cupronickel (copper with nickel) alloy with the addition of zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver ...

nickel Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

, and white metal.

History

In the late-1840s, the price of copper had risen to the point that large cents cost more than one cent to produce. In response to a bill drafted in 1849 by Congressman Samuel F. Vinton to reduce the size of the cent, the US mint began looking for an alternative type of cent. One solution to the problem was to

perforate A perforation is a small hole in a thin material or web. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized fashion, where all of the holes collectively are called a ''perforation''. The process of creating perforations is called perfor ...

the coin in the center, creating a ring-like appearance. Pattern ring cents were first struck in 1850 in various test compositions. However, it was found that the coin was difficult to eject from the presses and that it was expensive to recover the silver from the alloy. Because of this, the ring cent was not placed into mass-production and the large cent continued to be produced until 1857, when it was replaced by the Flying Eagle cent. According to numismatic historian Walter Breen, another factor in the rejection of the ring cent was that it reminded many of the Chinese cash coin, which had minimal purchasing value. The ring cent was briefly revived in 1884 by

Eastman Johnson Jonathan Eastman Johnson (July 29, 1824 – April 5, 1906) was an American painter and co-founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, with his name inscribed at its entrance. He was best known for his genre paintings, paintings of ...

, although this time the design was somewhat cruder as the holes appeared to have been handcut as they vary in both size and shape. Although a more refined and smoother design was struck the following year, no more ring cents would ever be struck. 196 ring cents (originals and restrikes) are known to exist.

Other versions

Patterns of this "ring cent" were struck in various metals and with various hole sizes. There were also various different designs, with some designs lacking a date or a reverse design. Some did not even have a hole, in its place being a circle resembling a line for perforation. These were known as annular cents.

Ring cent obverse designs

File:1850 1C Cent, Judd-124G, Pollock-145, High R.7.jpg, 1850 non-perforated obverse File:1850 P1C One Cent, Judd-119 Original, Pollock-134, Low R.6.jpg, 1850 perforated obverse File:1851 P1C One Cent, Judd-131A Restrike, Pollock-156, High R.7.jpg, 1851 non-perforated obverse File:1851 P1C One Cent, Judd-127 Original, Pollock-149, Low R.6 rev.jpg, 1851 perforated obverse File:1884 1C One Cent, Judd-1721, Pollock-1929, R.5.jpg, Obverse of the 1884 Eastman Johnson cent File:1885 1C One Cent, Judd-1740, Pollock-1950, High R.6.jpg, Obverse of the 1885 ring cent. All 1885 ring cents (with and without the hole) were struck with a die featuring a 5 over 3 overdate error.

Ring cent reverse designs

File:1850 1C Cent, Judd-124G, Pollock-145, High R.7 rev.jpg, 1850 blank non-perforated reverse (1853 restrikes only) File:1850 P1C One Cent, Judd-124 Restrike, Pollock-139, Low R.7 rev.jpg, 1850 non-perforated reverse File:1850 P1C One Cent, Judd-119 Original, Pollock-134, Low R.6 rev.jpg, 1850 perforated reverse File:1851 P1C One Cent, Judd-131A Restrike, Pollock-156, High R.7 rev.jpg, 1851 non-perforated reverse File:1851 P1C One Cent, Judd-127 Original, Pollock-149, Low R.6.jpg, 1851 perforated reverse File:1853 E1C One Cent, Judd-152, Pollock-140, R.7.jpg, 1850 non-perforated reverse, with the denomination surrounded by a wreath File:1884 1C One Cent, Judd-1721, Pollock-1929, R.5 rev.jpg, Reverse of the 1884 Eastman Johnson cent File:1885 1C One Cent, Judd-1740, Pollock-1950, High R.6 rev.jpg, Reverse of the 1885 ring cent. The 1850 blank non-perforated reverse was probably struck from the same die that was used for an 1852 gold dollar pattern. In the case of the 1850 non-perforated reverse with the denomination surrounded by a wreath, although they were dated 1850 (and thus used the 1850 non-perforated reverse), the coins were actually struck in 1853.

References

Bibliography