Roman Head

About This Coin

Attributed to the engraver Peter Getz of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the Roman Head cent is a Washington piece struck in copper at approximately 10 grams with a 28-millimeter diameter and plain edge. The type takes its name from the distinctive obverse portrait of George Washington rendered in a classicized Roman style — his head wreathed in laurel or depicted with a Roman haircut — a deliberate artistic choice that aligned Washington's image with the virtuous leaders of the Roman Republic and reflected the neoclassical aesthetic that dominated American civic art during the early national period. Produced during the 1780s-1790s, the Roman Head belongs to the broader Washington Pieces family (1783-1800) that encompasses dozens of token and pattern varieties struck by private minters seeking government coinage contracts or capitalizing on Washington's popularity. Peter Getz is known to have produced several Washington pattern pieces, and his work demonstrates a level of die-cutting skill that exceeded many contemporary private issues. The reverse typically carries a wreath or patriotic inscription, and die varieties within the Roman Head type are distinguished by differences in portrait style, legend spacing, and edge treatment. Copper examples predominate, though occasional specimens in other metals surface in advanced collections. The Roman Head's neoclassical portraiture gives it particular appeal among collectors drawn to the intersection of numismatics and early American political iconography, and survivors in sharp condition with full hair detail and clean fields are genuinely difficult to locate. Grading focuses on the crispness of the laurel leaves and the definition of Washington's facial features, as these high-relief elements wear first.