One of the wildest experiments in early American coinage 😳 In 1792, the U.S. Mint tried something bold: a copper cent with a plug of solid silver in the center, a design suggested in part by political philosopher Thomas Paine and executed under the watch of Thomas Jefferson and Mint coiner Henry Voigt. The goal? Create a small coin with “real” intrinsic value before America had fully standardized its currency. Only 14 Silver Center Cents are known today. Most sit in institutions. This one is we