1793 Flowing Hair Cent. Chain Reverse. S-3. Rarity-3-. AMERICA, Without Periods. VF-25 (PCGS). One of just 36,103 Chain cents struck, this piece presents very well for having acquired moderate wear from circulation. The devices are delightfully intricate for the type, with Libertys portrait and the denomination 100 CENTS 1/100 particularly bold. Painted in a marbled blend of dark cocoa and lighter caramel tones across each side. Trivial marks at 3 and 5 oclock on the obverse serve as convenient pedigree markers, and the overall complexion remains glossy and smooth. The lack of periods on the obverse after the word LIBERTY and the placement of the date 1793 are diagnostic of this popular die marriage for the first year 1793 Chain cent. The first issue struck in the new United States Mint building in Philadelphia (the first coins struck under authority of the Mint are the 1792 half dismes), the 1793 Chain cent is one of the most eagerly sought pieces in all of U.S. coinage history. The issue is also a one year type, the chain motif on the reverse meeting with quick and sharp disapproval among the contemporary public and yielding to the Wreath design type even before the end of that year. Ironically, the Wreath cent itself also succumbed to the vagaries of coinage redesign within a short period of time, for the first examples of the incoming Liberty Cap type soon appeared bearing the 1793 date.
