1818 Large Cent - 1818 1c PCGS AU50 CAC. This is an eye-appealing, problem-free 1818 Large Cent. The surfaces, which are clean for the grade, are a mixture of light chocolate and slate-brown with the former in the fields and the latter the devices. The colors indicate the coins originality. It has an above average strike with full details on to top and left most stars, the hair above Libertys ear, and the leaves on the left of the reverse wreath. The dentils are sharp and regular on both sides. The CAC sticker lets us know that the coin is a premium quality piece that fully merits the assigned grade.

Designed by Robert Scot, the Matron Head Large Cent shows Liberty in profile facing left. Her hair is tied in the back in a bun and also flows down her neck. She wears a LIBERTY inscribed coronet. She is surrounded by thirteen six-pointed stars with the date below. The reverse shows the denomination ONE CENT written in two lines within a laurel wreath tied at the bottom with a bow. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA encircles the wreath. Dentils are at the periphery of both sides of the coin, and the edge is plain.

Scot was born in 1744. It is uncertain if he was born in Edinburgh, Scotland or in England. He was trained as a watchmaker in England and learned engraving afterwards. He moved to the United States in 1777, where he worked as an engraver of plates, bills of exchange, and office scales. During the Revolution, he was an engraver of paper money. In 1781 he moved to Philadelphia. He was appointed Chief Engraver of the United States Mint on November 23, 1793 by David Rittenhouse, Mint Director. His salary in 1795 was $1,200 per year. The Mint Director received only $800 dollars per year more. Scots ability to make dies was limited, and in his advanced years he had failing eyesight. His work was somewhat less than that done in Europe at the time, and Scot was criticized for its poor quality. Despite these limitations, he was responsible for designs of most of Americas first coins. These include the Flowing Hair and the Draped Bust motifs used on early silver coins and the Capped Bust gold coins. Scot also designed the 1794-1797 half-cent, the 1800-1808 draped bust half-cent, and the Thomas Jefferson Indian Peace Medal.

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, as of June 2013, CAC has confirmed 1 1818 Large Cent at the AU50 grade level.