The United States began issuing Small Cents in 1857 for two reasons: first, the cost of making the larger size Half-Cent and Large Cent had risen to the point where making the coins cost more than they were worth. Second, Small Cents were meant to encourage citizens to move away from using Spanish and English coinage and begin using U.S.-issued decimal coinage.
Historic Coins
Although today’s pennies are technically Small Cents, someone who refers to Small Cents likely means coins that were issued when the coins were first introduced. However, Small Cents, even if they’re relatively old, aren’t particularly valuable. While earlier coins were made of gold and silver, Small Cents are made of a combination of copper and nickel. In addition, most were made in large quantities, so they’re not rare coins. They are, however, a lot of fun to collect and display. Most can be found at flea markets, coin shops, and at auction. Keep your eyes open, however, for rarer variations; some Small Cents were produced in very low quantities, and others—such as the over-polished 1922-D without Mint mark issue—were produced in error. Keep in mind that all values are estimated and conditional, meaning the penny would have to be in good shape to earn top dollar.
