Some coins cost a collector more to buy than others for the simple reason that fewer were made. The number struck of any given coin depends upon many factors, but one of the most important is the economy, which dictates how many coins are needed in the marketplace in a given year. In the early history of the Philadelphia Mint, this often meant, for example, that there was no coinage in certain years.
The first major economic interference with our coinage came as a result of the War of 1812, which began in June of that year. The conflict with Britain meant that international trade was disrupted and little foreign silver or gold came to the United States; these coins were the main source of bullion for the Philadelphia Mint. In turn, this meant that fewer coins were struck, culminating, for example, in the extremely rare 1815 half eagles and the scarce half dollars dated in that same year.
Copper coinage during the war, which ended in late 1814, was also put to a severe test. In those days, the Philadelphia Mint did not make its own planchets but rather imported them from the Matthew Boulton firm at Soho, near Birmingham, England. As early as the summer of 1811, it was increasingly clear that war between the two countries was only a matter of time and Mint Director Robert Patterson took the precaution of ordering several tons of cent planchets.
The copper cent blanks did arrive just in the
