1876 1c MS RB

1876 Cent Production: Cent mintage dipped quite a bit in 1876. This was not due to lack of demand. On the contrary, the issuance of cents from the Mint was more than 13 million pieces. In addition to the nearly eight million new cents produced, 5,599,500 older cents were released back into circulation. The older coins had been redeemed under the Mint Act of 1871.

Survivability: 1876 cents stayed in circulation and are usually found well worn. This is a popular date with collectors and is one of the tougher dates to find in most grades.

Collecting Challenges: These are very scarce and desirable. It is diffcult to locate problem-free examples. Coins of this era are frequently found with oil or water strike-throughs, resulting in missing detail on otherwise well-struck coins, or depressions in the field.

Collecting Circulated Pieces: The optimal collecting grade for circulated coins is VF-20. Problem-free examples are very diffcult to locate. Most are in very low grades. Search out coins with smooth, chocolate-brown-colored surfaces.

Collecting Mint State Pieces: The optimal collecting grade for Mint State coins is MS-64RB. Many of these have average strikes. It might be a challenge to locate an example with all the qualities you desire. Full red examples are more readily available than might be expected. Many come from an original roll that surfaced in the 1970’s.

Collecting Proof Issues: This issue is more readily available than the scarce 1875, about equal to the 1873 Proof. A small percentage of these are one-sided Proofs. These are similar to other Proofs in their striking qualities and obverse surface quality. However, the reverse die was roughly polished, leaving numerous heavy die striations in the field. Overall, the quality of this issue is quite good. Gems are easily found, as are full red examples. Cameo gems are very scarce.

There are no varieties known for this year. A Shallow N example was reported but has been verified to be counterfeit (see page 198).