1793 Wreath Cent - 1793 1C Wreath NGC VF30BN. 1793 Large Cent, Wreath, Lettered Edge, S-11B, R4. This light brown 1793 Wreath Cent is completely original and clean for the grade. The variety is the second finest known at NGC. The surfaces are hard and glossy with no porosity visible. Approximately half of Libertys hair from her ear to the crown of her head is present with detail. Her ear also shows as does the readable date. The coin is unevenly struck, which is typical for the issue. The upper part is stronger than the lower on both sides. 

The S-11B variety is identified by its obverse vertical left leaf, its reverse beads far from the legend, and its lettered edge and double leaves. On the obverse the sprig is small. It has a short stem that starts directly above the 9 and points straight upward toward the E of LIBERTY. On all other obverses, this leaf points to the left. On the reverse, there is a large distance from the legend to the border of beads. The fraction at the bottom of the reverse is at the extreme right of the space. The fraction bar is faint and almost touches the right ribbon. The left ribbon is much shorter than the right and less forked. 

The Wreath Cent was designed by Henry Voigt. The obverse shows a profile of Liberty looking to the right. Her hair is untied, hence the designation Flowing Hair. LIBERTY is above the portrait and the date is below. Under the truncation and above the date is a sprig of three leaves. The reverse shows a wreath of two olive branches that enclose the denomination written as ONE CENT. The branches are tied at the bottom with a ribbon. Between the ends of the ribbon and the rim is the fraction 1/100. The edge is lettered ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR followed by a double leaf. 

Henry Voigt was the first Chief Coiner for the Mint. His permanent commission was signed by President Washington on January 29, 1793, and he remained in his position until his death in 1814. Voigt was born in Pennsylvania in 1738. During the Seven Years War of 1756 to 1763, his family moved to Saxony Germany, their homeland. When the war was over, he took a position at the Royal Mint of Saxony where he learned how to use all of the machinery and how to make every part himself. He even made improvements to the minting machinery during his time there. He was an ideal candidate to work at the first United States Mint. When he returned to America, he worked as a clockmaker in Philadelphia and became an assistant to David Rittenhouse, a well known watch and clock maker, who became the first Mint Director. When the Revolutionary War broke out, Voigt helped manufacturer gears, guns, and gunlocks for the Continental Army. In 1780 he manufactured wire in Reading, Pennsylvania, and, with his brother Sebastian, once again became a clockmaker. In 1787 he developed a steam engine to power a boat, and he and his brother manufactured steam engines. Both applied for work at the new Mint. Voigt gained the position probably because of his previous association with David Rittenhouse. He became Chief Coiner and Superintendent, the second person in charge. He oversaw the construction of the buildings and the installation of the equipment.

The early Mint in Philadelphia had many challenges. Conditions were poor even at times chaotic. Each of the specialists, the designers, engravers, and press operators were men who had previously worked in other fields. Coin manufacturing was a new trade for them. Production was sporadic. For the new Mint to coin each of the mandated denominations, it took four years. This delay was partly because of inexperience and governmental obstacles. Bonds that were unrealistically high were impediments to engravers working with precious metals. Congress was not united on the need for a government mint since private and foreign coinage seemed to work. Because of the non-existent or low production numbers in the early years of the Mint, foreign copper, silver and gold circulated along with American made coins for many years until they were later demonetized.

Record keeping in the Mints early years was fairly inaccurate. At the end of the eighteenth century Philadelphia had recovered from the British occupation and Revolutionary War. It was the second largest city in the English-speaking world, but it could do nothing to protect its citizens from the mosquito-borne epidemic of yellow fever. Its wealthy citizens went to the countryside to escape, and the poor grimly waited their fate. Of course these annual epidemics caused havoc with all manufacturing that required continuity, such as a coinage sequence. The Mint shut operations during the late summer and early fall every year. In addition to yellow fever, disorder at the Mint was also caused by chronic bullion shortages and coin dies that would wear out and had to be re-engraved because they were not taken out of production until they failed completely. Often dies were locked up and later taken out of storage without great attention and care. There was also a jealous Chief Engraver, Robert Scot, who was in his seventies and had failing eyesight.  

In its population report, NGC has certified only the present coin, the 1793 Wreath Cent S-11B in VF30 condition with 1 better.