1 Cent "Flowing Hair Cent" · “Flowing Hair Cent”

The Flowing Hair Cent — America's First Coin

When the first United States Mint finally struck a coin for circulation in March 1793, it was a big copper cent with Liberty's hair streaming behind her and a chain of fifteen links on the back. Critics said Liberty looked terrified and the chain looked like slavery. The Mint scrapped it within weeks — and that panic gave us three of the most coveted coins in American collecting.