Mintage:  Estimated at 34,000,000

Comments:  Bronze planchets were first used in May of 1864 and continued through to the end of the series.  These bronze planchets, which weigh 3.11 grams, are much thinner than the previous copper nickel composition, which weight 4.67 grams.  Although the alloy changed, some dies that struck the hard copper nickel planchets continued to be in service.  As a result, some 1864 bronze cents are seen with degraded die states.  Availability is not an isssue, so seek out well struck coins and avoid the aforementioned degraded die states.  Similarly, avoid coins with sizeable strike-throughs that obliterate design elements.  A strike-through occurs when a foreign material gets caught between the planchet and a working die, resulting in negative eye appeal  Although strike-throughs are not rampant for this date, I have seen a few examples where LIBERTY is partially or nearly completely obliterated.

The best die variety for the 1864 bronze issue is varieties 4, 5, and 6 which share the same class V doubled die obverse and are collectively ranked #8 in the top 100 die varieties for the series.  Variety 1 for the bronze issue is the same die pair that produced variety 1 for the copper nickel issue.  In addition, there are some bronze cents that have the same digit punch artifact mentioned in varieties 3 and 4 in the copper nickel versions.

Rarity Estimates for 1864 Bronze Varieties

Emission Sequence of 1864 Bronze Obverses and Reverses

Top  100	Variety Number	Obv	Rev	Date Position	Obverse / Reverse Attributes	Cross Reference
	1	2	B	C	Repunched Date:  Initial Date Impressions To The South Below The Serif Of the 1 and To The West Of The 8 and 6, Die Crack From 5:00 Obv. 2.2:  Die Cracks From 12:45, 2:00 and 4:30; Obv 2.3:  Bisecting Die Crack from 4:30 to 11:00	Snow 1, RPD-002
	2	10	K	C	Repunched Date:  Initial Date Impressions To The Southwest Below The Bases Of The 8, 6 and 4 / Lint Hub Throughs At 2:30 On Outer Oak Leaf, Die Cracks From 12:30, 4:00, 9:00 and 11:15	Snow 2, RPD-003
	3	11	L	LE	Repunched Date:  Initial Date Impressions To The West Within The Lower Loop Of The 6 and To The West Of The Upright and Base Of The 4 / Reverse Rotated 170 degrees CW; Rev. La:  Reverse Rotation Of 107 Degrees CCW; Rev. Lb:  Reverse Rotation Of 117 Degrees CW	Snow 3, RPD-004
*	4	12	M	C	Doubled Die, Repunched 4 to the West / Triangular Die Chip on Center of E of ONE	Snow 4a
*	5	12	N	C	Doubled Die, Repunched 4 to the West / Heavy Die Crack from 11:30 to Right Wreath, Die Crack from 11:30 Through Left Wreath	Snow 4b
*	6	12	O	C	Doubled Die, Repunched 4 to the West /	Snow 4c
	7	13	P	LH	Repunching on 4 to the West	Snow 6
	8	14	Q	C	Repunching on the 64 to the South	Snow 7
	9	15	R	B	Repunched Date:  Initial Date Impression To The North Within The Lower Loop Of The 6 / Die Crack From 6:30	Snow 8, RPD-007
	10	16	S	B	Repunching on 86 to the North / Triangular Die Chip below the Right Edge of the Left foot of the N of ONE	Snow 9
	11	17	T	B	Bisecting Die Crack From 1:00 To 7:00	Snow 10a
	12	18	U	LH	Bisecting Die Crack From 1:30 to 8:00	Snow 10b, CRK-002
	13	19	V	C	Repunched Date:  Initial Date Impressions To The Northwest Above The Base Of The 1, To The North Within The Lower Loop Of The 8, To The South Below The Base Of The 6 and To The South Below The Crossbar Of The 4; Die Cracks From 7:00 and 11:00; Obv. 19.2:  Die Break Below The Nose and To Right Of Lips; Obv. 19.3:  Obv. 19.2 Die Break Enlarged and Now Obliterates The Design Features Of The Lips / Die Cracks From 12:30, 3:15, 5:15, 8:15, 9:30 and 10:30	Snow 12
*	14	20	W	C	Concentric Circular Die Lines Covering Most of the Portrait; Raised Die Anomaly Above '(O)F' / Die Crack From 7:00, Rim Breakage Between 1:00 and 5:45	Snow 11, ODD-003
	15	21	AV	B	Repunching on the 4 to the North / Die Crack from 2:30	RPD-009
	16	24	AW	B	Reverse Cud between 2:30 and 3:15	CUD-002
	17	25	AX	C	Reverse Die Crack Between 9:45 and 12:00; Rev. AX.3:  Die Crack Between 9:45 and 12:00 Is Now Severe	CUD-003
	18	26	AY	LE	Repunching on the 86 to the Southwest and Repunching to the North on the 4, Defective Digit Punch	RPD-011
	19	27	AAC	B	Reverse Rotation of 69 Degrees Counter Clockwise
	20	28	AAD	B	Reverse Die Cracks From 12:30, 2:45, 3:00, 4:15 and 5:00; Small Die Break Below O(N)E; Rev. AAD.4:  Reverse AAD Has Developed A Retained Cud Between 3:00 and 4:00; Rev. AAD.5:  Reverse AAD Has Developed A Cud Between 3:00 and 4:00	ODD-004
	21	29	AAE	C	Reverse Cud between 11:30 and 12:30	CUD-005
	22	30	AAF	C	Reverse Rotation of 176 Degrees Counterclockwise, Radial Die Crack From 6:30; Rev. AAF.2:  Retained Cud Between 9:00 and 9:30; Rev. AAF.3:  Retained Portion Of The Break From The AAF.2 Die State Is Absent Resulting In A Full Cud	ROT-001
	23	31	AAG	RE	Reverse Cud between 9:00 and 10:00
	24	32	AAH	RH	Wide Repunching on the 864 / Radial Die Crack at 1:00	Snow 14
	25	37	AAN	B	Reverse Retained Cud between 3:00 and 5:00
	26	39	AAP	C	Reverse Artifact Among Horizontal Shield Bars; Cracked Die:  Die Cracks From 3:00 and 5:15
	27	40	AAR	C	Rim Breaks at 5:30 and 6:15, Die Cracks From 5:30, 5:30 To 6:15 / Die Crack From 9:00 To 10:45, 12:00 and 1:00
	28	41	AAS	RE	Small Die Break At Top Side Of Ninth Feather, Die Crack Connects 8 and 6 / Reverse Cud Between 11:30 and 12:30, Die Cracks From 1:00 and 3:45
	29	40.2	AAT	C	Rim Breaks at 5:30 and 6:15, Die Cracks From 5:30, 5:30 To 6:15 / Die Cracks From 6:00 and 8:45
	30	47	AAX	C	Obv. 47.2:  Die Crack From Flag Of 1 To '(U)NITED' / Reverse Die Rust Below Shield, Within (ON)E, Within C(EN)T and Below C(EN)T; Rev. AAX.2:  Die Cracks From 12:30 and 9:30	Snow 5, RST-001
	31	48	AAAC	C	Reverse Heavy Die Crack Between 8:00 and 9:00, Die Crack From 7:00, 9:45 and 11:15
	32	49	AAAD	RE	Repunched Date:  Initial Date Impressions To The North Above The Base and Horizontal Cross Bar Of The 4
	33	50	AAAE	?	Reverse Cud Between 11:15 and 12:45
	34	51	AAAG	C	Reverse Cud Between 3:00 and 4:30
	35	52	AAAH	B	Repunched Date:  Initial Date Impression To The West Of The Lower Section Of The Upright Of The 4
	36	20.2	AAAI	C	Concentric Circular Die Lines Covering Most of the Portrait; Raised Die Anomaly Above '(O)F'	Snow 11, ODD-003
	37	53	AAAJ	RE	Concentric Circular Die Lines On Portrait, Die Cracks From 12:15 and 10:00; Obv. 53.2:  Die Crack From 7:00 / Die Cracks From 1:00, 3:30 and 11:15; Rev. AAAJ.2:  Die Crack From 11:30
	38	41.2	AAAL	RE	Small Die Break At Top Side Of Ninth Feather, Die Chip At Top Side Of Eighth Feather, Die Crack At Base Of Date / Reverse Retained Cud Between 11:45 and 12:30, Die Crack From 11:00
	39	55	AAAN	LE	Reverse Rotation Of 80 Degrees Counter Clockwise, Die Crack From 11:00
	40	56	AAAO	LH	Reverse Rotation Of 82 Degrees Clockwise
	41	58	AAAQ	C	Reverse Die Cracks From 11:30, 12:45, 1:15, 2:45, 7:45 and 11:00
	42	61	AAAT	?	Reverse Cud Between 9:00 and 10:00
	43	32	AAAU	RH	Repunched Date:  Initial Date Impressions Located To The West Within The Upper Loop Of The 8, To The West Within The Upper Loop Of The 6 and To The West Of The Upright Of The 4 / Moderately Heavy Die Crack From 12:30	Snow 14 Obverse
	44	62	AAAV	LH	Reverse Rotation Of 118 Degrees Clockwise
	45	63	AAAX	RH	Repunched Date:  Initial Date Impression Located To The West Of The Upright Of The 4 Digit; Cracked Die:  Die Crack From 7:00 and Through Bust Point; Rim Breakage:  Rim Breakage Between 11:45 and 5:30 / Cracked Die:  Die Cracks From 2:15 and 4:30; Rev. AAAX.2:  Additional Die Crack From 10:00