1793 Chain Cent - To begin a discussion of the Chain Cents of 1793 one must first look at its predecessors. The first was the dollar-size Continental Currency. The reverse had an interlocking chain motif with each link representing one of the original thirteen colonies. Fugio coppers, which were made in 1787, continued the chain design. Again thirteen interlocked chain links appeared, this time without each being named. By the time the 1793 cent was issued, there were 15 states in the Union; consequently, the chain on the Large cent has 15 links, each one representing a state.

Public criticism of the motif arose because many deemed the chain to be a symbol of slavery, and it was replaced later in the year with Eckfeldt’s wreath. Within the circle made by the chain are the denomination, ONE CENT, in two lines and the fraction 1/100, to remind the public that the coin was a hundredth of a dollar. The chain was encircled by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The obverse shows a stringy-haired profile of Liberty facing right. LIBERTY is above and the date, 1793, is below. The edge has a leaf design with bars and slender vines. Henry Voigt is usually credited with the design, but some feel it was made another engraver.

There are four varieties of the Chain Cent, and they are designated S-1 to S-4, using the numbering system devised by William H. Sheldon. Sheldon was the author of Early American Cents in 1949 and Penny Whimsy in 1958 in which he developed a comprehensive listing of the varieties of large cents. He also devised the 1 to 70 numerical grading scale that is still used among numismatists today.

The first Sheldon cent, S-1 has a Wide Date and, because of a spacing error, America is abbreviated to AMERI. The Wide Date is the widest among the Chain cents. At the bottom, the width is just over 9 millimeters. This obverse die was also used on S-2. On the reverse, in addition to the abbreviation, which is diagnostic, the fraction bar is equally distant from the numerator and the denominator. The coin is usually found with a die crack over TATE, which later becomes a die break. It is also often seen with a slight bulge or mound under the 1 of the date and over the U in UNITED.

The S-2 uses the same obverse die as S-1. On the reverse the word AMERICA is spelled out. The fraction bar is high and far from the denominator. The numbers in the fraction are smaller than those in S-1. This reverse was also used for S-3 and S-4.

The S-3 is an example of the spelled-out AMERICA reverse subtype. It is identified as Sheldon 3 by the irregular letters of LIBERTY in both size and position. The R is too large and too high, and it leans to the right. The date is nearer the point of the bust than the hair. The S-2 and the S-4, the other AMERICA reverse coins are struck from the same reverse but have different obverse dies.

On the S-4 both LIBERTY and the date are followed by periods, and both are closely spaced together. The L and B are low, and the LI are very close to each other. The coin is often found with a die break behind and below the lowest strands of Liberty’s hair. The S-2 and the S-3, the other AMERICA reverse coins are struck from the same reverse but have different obverse dies.