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1 Cent '1792 Birch Cent' Pattern
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1792 |
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| Currency | Dollar (1785-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Draped female bust facing right with flowing curly hair, the truncation inscribed BIRCH identifying the engraver. The peripheral legend LIBERTY PARENT OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY * encircles the effigy, while the date 1792 appears below the truncation within the field rather than at the rim. The portrait is rendered in a refined neoclassical style characteristic of late 18th-century American coinage essays. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain or lettered (TO BE ESTEEMED * TO BE USEFUL *) |
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| Additional information |
The Birch cent takes its name from Robert Birch, the engraver believed responsible for the design, though his exact role in the early Mint's chaotic first months remains disputed. These patterns were struck in 1792 as Congress debated what American coinage should look like — the Mint building in Philadelphia wasn't even completed yet, and early dies were cut under improvised conditions. Three Judd varieties exist, distinguished primarily by edge treatment and a small detail in the legend: some read "TO BE ESTEEMED BE USEFUL," a motto that didn't survive into regular coinage.
Fewer than a dozen examples across all three varieties are known to exist.