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.

I got this one at the Mississippi State Show in Biloxi, MS. The dealer I got this from also had an amazing S-26, very fine; I bought this one instead because it was in my price range! Nicknamed the "Short Bust" variety. The ending curl in the hair seems to be absent. The reverse leaves a bit to be desired, but the die break through U in UNITED shows up well.

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.

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.

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-. A cheap, low-grade example that doesn't show the diagnostic, unfortunately, but still not bad for the price. Heavy contact marks but no porosity or corrosion.

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.

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.

This variety was made late in 1794 and is a "Head of 1795" variety. The last six 1794 obverses were engraved by a different person than the rest and are characterized by a noticeably lower relief portrait. (On my specimen, it's REALLY in low relief, hehe.) Yes, this coin is very well worn, so much in fact that the reverse is nearly slick. I'd give the reverse, detail wise, a 1.001 on a scale from 1 to 70! I'm pretty sure it's a S-70; it turns out that S-69 and S-70 share the same obverse, so it's up to the reverse to decide the variety. Trouble is, you really have to tilt the coin around to see anything on the reverse! It all came down to the spacing between the left stem and the leaf above; on a S-69 there's a lot more space between the leaf and stem than on a S-70, and this coins appears to have the smaller space.

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.