1795 Lettered Edge

The 1795 Lettered Edge large cent is the standard issue for the date, carrying the ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR edge inscription that had been used on large cents since 1793. The total mintage for all 1795 large cent varieties combined was 501,500 coins, and the standard Lettered Edge accounts for the largest portion of that output.

The design continues the Liberty Cap type that Joseph Wright had introduced in 1793. By 1795, Robert Scot was fully in charge of die production, and the portraits reflect his style rather than Wright's. The coin weighs approximately 13.48 grams of pure copper and measures 29 millimeters in diameter, substantially larger and heavier than the half cent produced in the same years.

Among 1795 large cent varieties, the standard Lettered Edge is the most available and the most affordable. A collector looking for a representative Liberty Cap large cent can find one in Good to Fine condition without extraordinary effort, and the pricing is moderate by early copper standards. Very Fine examples are less common but surface at auction regularly enough that a patient collector will have options.

The 1795 Lettered Edge is the practical choice for a type collector who wants one Liberty Cap large cent in the collection. It offers the full design at a lower cost than the rare Jefferson Head or Reeded Edge varieties, and the lettered edge provides an additional historical detail that plain-edge coins lack. The inscription on the edge is a statement of the coin's value in dollar terms, linking the copper cent directly to the silver dollar standard.