1854

The 1854 large cent was struck in solid quantity at the Philadelphia Mint, which produced 4,236,156 coins for circulation. The large copper cent had been a fixture of American commerce since 1793, but by the mid-1850s, pressure was building to replace it. The coin was heavy, bulky, and expensive to produce. Copper prices had risen steadily, and the metal in each cent was approaching its face value. Merchants and the public alike complained about the inconvenience of carrying pocketfuls of large copper coins.

Inside the Mint, Chief Engraver James B. Longacre was already experimenting with designs for a smaller cent struck in a copper-nickel alloy. Pattern coins for the Flying Eagle cent were being prepared. Congress was moving toward legislation that would eliminate both the large cent and the half cent. The 1854 large cent shows none of this on its face. The Braided Hair design is unchanged, the weight and diameter identical to every cent struck since 1840. But the coin was three years from extinction. The 1854 is available in circulated grades across the standard range, a common late-series date produced in quantity while the denomination's replacement was already taking shape behind the scenes.