1817 Large Cent. Known Error?

What about early cents (< 1815) with circular die cracks or small cents? Do these exist?

Die cracks tend to run from point to point through areas of stress in the dies. The stars and their point tend to create these stress areas. The pre 1808 cents didn't have stars so they don't have circular die cracks on the obv, but do often have cracks through LIBERTY of the date as those are the stress areas on those dies. The reverse will often have cracks through the tops of the letters as well. Some time these will go most of the way around the coin but they usually aren't as visually impressive.

On the classic head cents 1808 - 1814, these do have stars but only two varieties seem to suffer from circular obv die breacks, 1810 S-285 (Late die stage) with the crack through the date and all the stars on the right hand side, and 1812 S-291 (Mid die stage and later) which actually does have pretty much a circular crack.

I haven't located a good image of a late stage of S-285 (there is a good one in Breens large cent book) but I have found one of 1812 S-291. The right hand crack runs through the bottom of the date up through all the stars ending just past the strat above the bust. The left hand crack starts at star 1, runs trhour all the stars, above the bust and and ends close to where the right hand crack ends.



OK this is the best I've been able to do for S-285, the crack is faint but is visible through the bottom of the date and stars 13 and 12. Then gets fainter but can then be see through the outer points of stars 8 and 7 into the field.