1828 Proof

The 1828 proof large cent exists in the same date-size varieties as the circulation strikes: Large Narrow Date and Small Wide Date. Proof examples may use either die configuration, and the die marriage matters to specialists who track every detail of early proof production. The proof was struck from polished dies, with extra pressure applied to bring up full detail on both the obverse portrait and the reverse wreath. The planchet was hand-selected for clean, even copper.

In 1828, the American economy was healthy and the Mint was producing cents in large numbers for general circulation. Andrew Jackson was running for President, and the political atmosphere was intense. The Mint itself operated at arm's length from electoral politics, but its officers were political appointees who moved in the same social circles as the government officials and foreign diplomats who received presentation coins. Proof cents from this period were made for this narrow audience: a few dozen people at most, spread across Philadelphia, Washington, and a handful of other cities. Surviving 1828 proof cents number in the low single digits.