In the United States of America (or, US), the 1-Cent Coin was a physical unit of currency that equaled 1/100 of the US dollar (written $0.01). A thing that you can touch and exchange. It’s often referred to as the penny. But, it is proper to call it Cent. Produced by the US Mint (a bureau of the US Department of Treasury), the features of the 1-Cent Coin changed over time since it first went into circulation in 1793. That was less than two decades after the founding of the US, which of course occurred in 1776. Oh, by the way, the production of the 1-Cent Coin was officially discontinued in 2025.
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So, for 233 years the US Mint produced the 1-Cent Coin. This denomination has two categories: Large Cent (26-29 mm) and Small Cent (19 mm). During the first 65 years, the US Mint produced the Large Cent and during the remaining 168 years, the Small Cent.
From 1793 to 1857, the Large Cent was produced and put into circulation. There were several very interesting design types of the Large Cent. The Large Cent was then replaced by the Small Cent, with the first issuance in 1856 and the last, in 2025.
In 1856, only about 1,000 Flying Eagle Small Cents were produced. The US Mint continued to mint the Flying Eagle Small Cent for another two years (1857-1858). Then the iconic Indian Head Small Cent was struck for circulation. The Indian Head Small Cent represented the US 1-Cent Coin for a half century from 1859 to 1909. Then, in 1909, the Indian Head Small Cent was replaced by the Lincoln Small Cent featuring Abraham Lincoln (16th US President). A portrait of Lincoln is featured on the front side (“heads”) of the coin, or so-called obverse side. The reverse, or “tails” side, has seen many changes. The physical properties (i.e., metal composition etc.) of the Lincoln Small Cent has also undergone many changes. The Lincoln Small Cent includes the following design types: Wheat, Memorial, Bicentennial and Shield.
The first US Mint was built in Philadelphia in 1792. Later, other centers were developed, such as Denver and San Francisco, that also produced the 1-Cent Coins, beginning 1909. The location of mintage is identified by the presence or absence of mint marks on the coins. “D” for Denver, “S” for San Francisco. No mintmark is the default for Philadelphia.
If you want to learn more about the symbolic implications of the many plants (i.e., wheat, corn, oak, olive, laurel etc.) depicted on the various series of the 1-Cent Coin, read this informative book.