Although gold and silver still took center stage in the 18th and 19th century monetary world, copper coins were dear to the colonial experience. Since well before the American Revolution, small coppers minted by official and unofficial sources circulated virtually everywhere in the Thirteen Colonies. The large number and variety of colonial coppers attest to how needed these coins were for common everyday transactions. When the United States Mint was established, the first regular issue coins minted were the copper cent and half cent.
