Flowing Hair large cent, 1793 Wreath 1C Vine and Bars Edge, BN, PCGS MS-66BN. Hover to zoom.
By far the most plentiful of the 1793 cents are those of the Wreath variety. The obverse depicts a restyled head of Miss Liberty, facing to the right as on the Chain cent, but engraved in higher relief and with much more detail, particularly with regard to the hair. The word “LIBERTY” appears above, and the date “1793” is below. Above the date is a small sprig, or group of leaves attached to a short branch. Early issues have a vine and bars ornamentation on the edge lettered “ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR” (lettering which was continued through part of 1795).
The relief of the designs and the protective high rims on the 1793 Wreath cents are such that even well-worn specimens are apt to show the date and most major features. From the original estimated mintage of 63,353 pieces, many hundreds of 1793 Wreath cents survive, perhaps even one of two thousand. These are spread over a number of different die variations as described in Penny Whimsy.
Examples are encountered today in a full range of conditions from Fair to Uncirculated, with most in the range of Good to Fine. Typically, specimens in Good to Very Fine grade show surface porosity or irregularities. However, for the most part, they are well-struck and sharply defined. Examples in Extremely Fine and AU condition are quite elusive and Uncirculated coins, while they exist, are major rarities. I have never seen one with a significant amount of mint red.
A curious and extremely rare variety of the 1793 Wreath cent is the so-called Strawberry Leaf variety. Instead of the typical sprig of three leaves and a small branch, the Strawberry Leaf variety displays a sprig of three cover-type or strawberry-type leaves, each with three lobes. A blossom or, as Sylvester S. Crosby believed, a boll of cotton is attached to the stem.
Two different varieties of the Strawberry Leaf cents are known, sharing a common obverse but differing in reverse characteristics. As a class, the variety is exceedingly rare. The several known specimens are uniformly in low grades of Good or less.
The Strawberry Leaf cents have been a subject of debate for many years. Some specialists have considered them to be patterns, others as regular circulating issues (but it is curious that no higher grade specimens are known and that they are so elusive), and still others have viewed them as being contemporary counterfeits. The Strawberry Leaf variety is illustrated in the 2021 Guide Book.
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