The United States Mint produced its first circulating coins in March 1793. The first coins to be minted were copper cents. Following is an outline of the half cent and cent coins produced by the US Mint. Half cents were minted in the US between 1793 and 1857. Half cents were largely ignored by collectors for years, although today many command premium prices. Most varieties of one cent coins minted in the US during the same period are referred to as large cents. There are many varieties of large cents of interest to numismatists. Large cents are designated by the following terms: Liberty Cap cents, Chain cents, Wreath cents, Draped Bust cents, Classic Head cents, Coronet cents, and Braided Hair cents. The Flying Eagle cent, introduced in 1856, represented the US Mint's successful attempt to coin a popular replacement for the large copper coins then in use. Today, Flying Eagle cents are worth thousands of dollars each, reflecting the fact that these coins have always had value and interest to collectors. The Indian Head cent replaced the Flying Eagle in 1859. The American public embraced it at the time, and the Indian Head cent remains popular with both casual and serious collectors. The design that eventually replaced the Indian Head cent in 1909, the Lincoln penny, has the distinction of being the coin issued over the longest span of time of any coin in US history. Collector demand for Lincoln pennies remains high, due in part to the fact that it is one of the first coins many people collect.
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