1833 Proof

The 1833 proof large cent was struck during a year of transition at the Mint. Congress was debating the future of the institution, including its location, staffing, and the composition of its coinage. The large cent itself was under scrutiny: the coin was physically big, heavy, and expensive to produce relative to its face value. Discussions about reducing the size of the cent or changing its copper content would continue through the decade, eventually leading to the smaller Braided Hair cents and, later, the Flying Eagle and Indian Head small cents.

None of those changes had arrived in 1833. The proof cent for this year is a full-size copper coin, struck on a 28mm planchet with polished dies and careful press work. The 1833 does not carry the Large Letters and Medium Letters variety distinction of its neighbors. The proof shows the design in its clearest possible form: Liberty wearing the inscribed coronet, surrounded by thirteen stars, with the date below. By the early 1830s, proof requests may have numbered slightly higher than in the previous decade, as the collector community continued to grow. The surviving population, however, remains very small.