Braided Hair Large Cents where not popular during their circulation period, but as the years went buy, and the discoveries of the different types and varieties, their popularity has increased.  This Large Cents series was minted from 1839-1857 and showcases several popular varieties like the “Petite Head”, and “Mature Head”, among many large dates, small dates and slanted date numbers.

One of the more difficult aspects of collecting Braided Hair Cents, is finding them in problem free condition. Copper is a very reactive metal, and the planchets used for these coins where often of poor quality, and it’s common to find many if these coins with pitting, corrosion or environmental damage. When these coins where minted, very few collectors even considered a proper method of storing these coins, and most people didn’t care enough about them to handle them carefully.

Grading is another issue, it’s somtimes difficult to determine there grades do to poor strikes and planchets, and numerous varieites that call for slightly different grading markers. This is the reason I put together a picture grading guide for these Large Cents, so anyone can use the pictures of each grade to help them grade the coins they own or want to buy online. Click here for more