1856 Braided Hair Large Cent
Wear & Strike Notes
Upright 5 variety
About This Coin
Christian Gobrecht’s Braided Hair design represents the final, refined chapter of the classic American copper large cent before the small cent took over in 1857. Introduced in 1839, this design gave the heavy copper coin a neoclassical dignity suited for a maturing nation.
This 1856 example features the Upright 5 variety, struck just a year before the denomination was discontinued. Finding any late-date large cent in Choice Mint State is a challenge, as these workhorse coins were meant for immediate, heavy circulation. At the MS64 Brown level, this specimen offers a level of preservation that escaped the pockets of the mid-nineteenth-century public.
Certified by PCGS, this coin represents an excellent opportunity for the collector seeking a premium, original representative of Gobrecht's final copper canvas. It is a quiet survivor from the twilight of the American large cent.