The 1809 large cent is the scarcest date among the Classic Head cents. The mintage was 222,867, all from one die pair. Older catalogs mention an overdate, but it was really the result of a blundered die. There is evidence of a smaller “9” in back of the larger “9” which may have been intended for the half eagle ($5 gold piece) coinage. The obverse of this coin is almost always weaker than the reverse. Specialists cite pieces which are one full grade lower on the obverse than the reverse. PCGS graded the piece below VF-30. The reverse could have some claim to a higher grade, but in grading, the obverse is much more important. The 1809 cents are all Sheldon variety #280. It is rated as an R-2, but since it represents all of the coins for the date, it can be considered to be scarce. You author was most pleased to find this piece graded VF-30 at the 2025 Summer FUN show. I had decided to look for an 1809 cent which was the same grade as the 1811 piece I had purchased earlier. This coin is very expensive in the higher grades. When I was shopping for this date, I bid on a piece in an AU holder. Believe it or not, the obverse was only a little better than what you see on this piece. It went for almost $9,000. That convinced me that buying a piece like this was the better option.
