The First U.S. Coins

The Continental Dollar was issued in 1776 to finance the American Revolution. It was made of pewter, a metal alloy made of tin, antimony, copper, bismuth, and sometimes silver. The Continental dollar was hand-struck, which means that no two are exactly alike. The coin’s obverse shows a sundial with the Latin phrase “Fugio,” meaning “I fly.” The coin’s reverse shows circles with the colonies of the early United States written in them. 

The Coinage Act of 1792 established an official mint for the United States of America in Philadelphia. The first circulating coins were the 1793 Chain copper cent. The obverse features a woman with flowing hair, and the reverse shows a clink of fifteen chains representing all the states at the time.

The 1793 Wreath cent was the second official coin to be released as an answer to the criticism of the Chain cent design. Instead of a chain that some thought represented slavery, a wreath appears on the reverse of this coin. It is believed that it is a wreath of laurels meant to represent triumph over the British during the Revolutionary War.

Of all the cents made in 1793, the Liberty Cap large cent is the rarest. It depicts Lady Liberty with a cap holding a staff over her shoulder. Hats like the one that appears on this coin were given to enslaved people when they became free. The freedom cap was a popular symbol because many soldiers wore it on buttons during the Revolutionary War.