1846 Large Cent - 1846 1C,  Small Date,  PCGS MS64 BN (Brown) CAC. This near-Gem Small Date 1846 Large Cent shows clean, hard, lustrous surfaces with brown devices outlined in mint red. The presence of these colors confirms the coins originality. With virtually no visible abrasion marks, this piece is a candidate for a Gem grade. The strike is above average with full details on the centers of most of the stars, the front of the coronet, and Libertys hair. Unlike many coins of this type, the dentils are strong. The CAC sticker indicates that the coin is of premium quality and fully merits the assigned grade.

Designed by Christian Gobrecht, the Braided Hair Cent was issued from 1839 to 1857. The coin shows Liberty facing left in profile. She wears a LIBERTY inscribed coronet and her hair is tied in beads. She is surrounded by thirteen six-pointed stars with the date below. The reverse shows a closed wreath of laurel within which is the denomination written on two lines as ONE CENT. Around the wreath is the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Dentils are on both sides of the coin, and the edge is plain.

Gobrecht was the third Chief Engraver at the United States Mint. He was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1785. His father was a German immigrant, and his mother traced her ancestry to the early settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Gobrecht married Mary Hewes in 1818. One of his early positions was as an engraver of clocks in Baltimore. Later he went to Philadelphia where he became a banknote engraver. He invented a machine that allowed one to convert a three-dimensional medal into an illustration.

This was an excellent job and Gobrecht was understandably reluctant to work for the Mint for less money than he was making at the engraving firm. In order to persuade him to leave, Mint Director Robert Patterson prevailed upon Chief Engraver William Kneass, who had had a stroke, to take less in salary so more money would be available to hire Gobrecht on a permanent basis. In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to Kneass. After Kneass stroke, Gobrecht did all the die and pattern work for the Mint. He became Chief Engraver in 1840 and served until his death in 1844. He was famous for his Liberty Seated motif, which was used for all denominations of silver coinage including the half-dime, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and silver dollar. He also designed the Liberty Head gold eagle, a motif that was also used on the half-cent, the cent, the gold quarter eagle, and the gold half eagle. 

As of July 2013, CAC has confirmed 8 1846 Large Cent Small Dates in MS64BN with 3 higher.