By Dr. Thomas F. Fitzgerald - Republished with Permission from The California Numismatist [Fall 2008 Volume 5 Number 3] The one-cent denomination is unique in our nation's monetary history. It was first struck in 1793, the year that the Philadelphia Mint, located on Seventh St. between Market and Arch, began minting coins for the new nation. With the exception of 1815, this denomination has been struck every year from 1793 through the present day, a total of 214 years of one-cent coins. They may truly be called the "King of U.S. Coins."