A coin that came out of the EAC 2008 auction. I was underbidder on this coin in the auction, which was hammered down to a prominent collector of 1794 cents. About six months later he contacted me and asked if I was still interested in the coin, and I jumped on it. A decent example of this rare variety, and a neat pedigree that goes back to 1944 and includes Oscar J. Pearl, Kosoff & Kreisberg, and Dr. Charles Ruby.

A more than decent example of this scarce head type. I bought this in the Goldberg auction of 2/2008. It has some bumps and scrapes, but the date is nice and bold, and so is the portrait. Leaf on edge points up, making this an S-18b instead of an S-18a.

Wow, are these tough to find in nice condition (tough to find in ANY condition!) Yep, this one is definitely not a "choice" coin by any means. As it turns out, at the time I purchased this one from a long-time EAC dealer who advertises in Coin World, there were actually THREE of these that were for sale at the time. S-20b being a Rarity-4 coin, this was highly unusual. And this was the best of the three, but barely. For those of you not familiar with the EDR (Early Date Report,) it's a list of early cent collections compiled by Red Henry. As it turns out, he also used to own this particular cent! Small world.

A coin I purchased off eBay from a prominent copper dealer. The first "Head of '94" variety, and dubbed the "Flat Pole" variety due to the extra wide width at the end of Liberty's pole. An arc-shaped die crack joins the cap to the left side of the B in LIBERTY and to the rim.

A common 1794 variety - noted for its "bent lock". The sixth hair lock from the bottom hooks straight down, which is diagnostic for this variety. Nice obverse with a crummy reverse, but priced right. I got this at the Biloxi show 3/2001.

A common 1794, but well known for its nickname, aptly given; the cheeks are very full on this cent, which makes it easily recognizable. The central reverse suffers a bit from this high relief on the obverse however. This specimen is in an ANACS F12 holder. It has some porosity, but not enough for ANACS to net grade the coin. The photo could be better, but I'm still learning how to shoot coins through slabs.

A scarce variety at R3. I bought this off eBay from a well-respected dealer who specializes in 1922 "no D" Lincoln cents. Sometimes known as the "Separated Date" variety, due to the "17 94" spacing of the date. A nicer '94, currently in an ANACS holder, until if and when I decide to free it from its prison.

Maris called this the "Ornate Head" variety, one of the most attractively executed heads of 1794. I thought this was a common variety, but CQR lists it at R2+, same rarity as a 1799 cent (but not quite as in demand.) This is a virtually flawless specimen that I couldn't really afford at the time, but nice '94's don't come around every day, and an EAC buddy gave me a deal that I simply couldn't pass up. My best '94 by far.

A decent 1794 that I purchased off eBay, in an ANACS holder graded G4, corroded. The corrosion is just minor porosity. Just a nice, well-worn cent. The "tail" on the end of the right ribbon helps to identify this variety.

This is an interesting albeit common variety. The lowest lock of hair is noticeably doubled, which is nearly a dead giveaway as to the variety. The S-31 also has this feature, but the obverse die is slightly different. It's decent for the grade, with a typically weak reverse.

Basically the same obverse as S-30, but reground. Also common like S-30 although I see more S-30's then S-31's. A nice, albeit low grade example I purchased from an EAC buddy off his fixed price list. Hard to find low grade examples without problems.

Here's a common variety I picked from from a prominent EAC dealer thru an ad in Coin World. It's easily attributable by the die crack thru the "S" in "STATES" which turns the "S" into what looks like a dollar sign. A decent coin for the grade.

This obverse of 1794 is paired with only one reverse. It has the most lightly cut lower lock of all of the 1794 reverses and the reverse features a single berry (instead of two) to the left of the bow, found on only two reverses. The most interesting feature of this variety is the bisecting obverse die crack, which splits ER of "LIBERTY" and goes between the 9 and 4 of the date (not seen in my example.) Another die crack stars at the rim and goes through the cap to the hair. I purchased this cent from a fellow EACer in December of 1999; this is my rarest variety to date (R5+!)

I got this one from Col. Steve Ellsworth when he visited town. He brought 3000 or so large cents with him! Talk about copper heaven - this was it. I picked this coin out of a group of 50 or so 1794s. (Now I just have to worry about paying for it!) Steve said the coin may have been burnished, but I can't tell - it's definitely one of my favorite cents, based on appearance alone.

An upgrade to the first S-43 I ever owned. ("Upgrade" is a massive understatement.) I bought this coin from a dealer at EAC 2009. I spotted it in his case, thought about it (for maybe a full 5 minutes) and then went back and purchased it. Really nice for a 1794, and this is a neat die state with a crack through 17 and through U of UNITED.

The first S-43 I purchased came from the Mississippi State Show in Biloxi, MS. The dealer I got it from also had an amazing S-26, very fine; I bought his S-43 instead because it was in my price range! Nicknamed the "Short Bust" variety, as the ending curl in the hair seems to be absent.

An eBay purchase. A common variety, but nice and smooth, and it's hard to find smooth '94's! S-44 is a "Head of '94" variety. However, Miss Liberty's lower curl doesn't have the "hook", so this variety is sometimes mistakenly called a "Head of '95", even by the grading companies. The die crack through 17 identifies the obverse, and the reverse vertical crack between S and OF identifies the reverse.

Tom Reynolds had this coin for sale at EAC 2008; an EAC buddy purchased this coin from Tom, and he turned around and sold it to me in November of 2008. Sheldon refers to S-54 as the "Braided Hair" variety (not to be confused with the large cents from 1840-1857,) and Maris called it "The Plicae". (Don't ask me to pronounce that!) The obverse is made of fine, heavy braids, and on the reverse, inside the left ribbon loop, is what looks like a huge berry. It also has an arcing die crack on the reverse from the fraction through IC of AMERICA. The coin has some minor bumps and porosity, but it's one of the really tough '94s, weighing in at R5+.

A nice '94 that I found on an EAC buddy's fixed price list and came out of the Goldberg sale in May 2008. Some minor little marks and nicks, but I really like the color of this piece. Listed as "just rare" at R5-, but I'm guessing it's probably a bit more common than the R5- rating. Not owning any other 1794s between S-46 and S-54 inclusive at the time of this writing, this S-51 is kind of lonely with no other coins around it.

A fairly common variety, Rarity-2. Easily recognizable by the 7 in the date leaning markedly to the left. On this specimen, the date is worn in this area. This variety is also known for having ONE CENT punched deep into the die. Also looks like the diecutter blundered a bit punching the A in STATES - it is very high and leans left.

A slightly scarcer variety, R3. This example is porous but decent, with all of the diagnostics easy to see. I got this at the Biloxi show 3/2001. This is definitely one of the neat '94's - known as the "Office Boy" reverse, due to the haphazard way the letters and devices were punched into the reverse die. Particulary note the spacing of "TA" in "STATES", "AM" in "AMERICA", and the "N" in "ONE" punched upside down and then corrected.

A coin I purchased out of the EAC auction in 2008. Dubbed the "Pyramidal Head" by Maris due to the hair locks forming a straight line. Several little marks and nicks but the surfaces are nice.

A pretty tough variety at R4+. Comes with and without the obverse cud, but I prefer the one with the cud, as it's readily identifiable. This coin came out of the Jack Young collection of 1794 cents and is in a PCGS VG10 holder. (As far as the nickname for this variety, "Trephined Head", I have no idea what that means. I can't even Google it!)

This is definitely one of my favorites - I got it at a coin show in Fort Walton Beach, Florida early in 1997. At that time I didn't know squat about varieties, but I ended up getting a doozy. Sheldon calls this one the "Drunken Diecutter's" variety, due to the odd spacing of LIBERTY and especially the date, in which the "9" is way too high, making the "4" look low, hence "Fallen 4". The "7" has been repunched twice (once near the bust!) and the "4" has been repunched once. Not the prettiest specimen, but it does have some good obverse detail. The person who made this die may very well have been drunk, or at least had poor eyesight. I guess we'll never know, but it sure makes for an interesting coin.

The only Sheldon variety not to have a fraction bar! Also a rare variety (barely,) listed as R5-. This is the second S-64 I've owned; the first came from a U.S. Cents auction; this one came from a buddy of mine. Both coins have about the same detail, but this one has fewer marks and also has a bold die crack at D of UNITED. It's also a really nice light brown! The fraction is unfortunately not visible on this coin.

The most common 1794 variety, and overgraded most of the time due to the hair detail. This is the "Shielded Hair" variety, which always comes with the lower left dentils on the obverse struck very high (and correspondingly weak in the upper right,) protecting the hair detail. I bought this from an EAC dealer.

A nice coin I purchased from Chris Victor-McCawley at EAC 2008. The coin was labeled as a Head of '95, but not attributed to Sheldon variety, but we knew it was either S-67 or S-69. Already having a S-69 I was hoping it was S-67... and it was. The wedge-shaped die clashing at the juncture of the hair and forehead I learned is a good identification mark for the variety.

One of the tougher heads of '95. This variety comes with the "1" in the date punched upside down, then corrected. A decent specimen I purchased from an EAC buddy.

The second example of this variety I've owned, and by far the better of the two. The first I purchased just starting out collecting, and besides having a readable date, that's about all you could say about it. This current example came out of the Jack Young collection of 1794 cents and is a nice upgrade. Just a nice, smooth coin, with a neat die crack bisecting TY of LIBERTY.

The very last variety of 1794 cent - this one is known as the "Exact head of 1795," because it is just like the portrait used for the 1795 cents. The lowest lock of hair does not come to a curl on this coin like on virtually all of the earlier 1794's. This coin has a small die break between the forehead and TY of LIBERTY. I got this at the EAC '99 convention.