Office Boy?

Flash

In this eBay auction for a 1794 large cent, what is an "Office Boy Reverse"?

Also, since we're on the subject, what does "gripped edge" mean when referring to early large cents?

BillJones

This variety gets its name from the amateurish way the reverse was executed. The spacing of the letters is all over the place.

The name could well have been applied to the 1801 cent varieties with the three error reverse (one stem missing from the wreath, “U” punched upside down and right side up to become “IINITED” and the undefined fraction, 1/000). The 1794 cent beat the 1801 to it, however, because those coins were cataloged and collected beginning in the second half of the 19th century.

Flash

Thanks Bill! What about "gripped edge"?

FC57Coins

If I'm not mistaken, the gripped edge looked kind of like the reeded edge, but the "reeds" were much further apart from eachother. Am I right gang or am I losing my mind?

Frank

prooflike

I don't know if you are right or wrong, but you are losing your mind...we all are

BillJones

The "gripped edge" consists of a series of evenly placed indentations on the side of the coin. Check out page 81 of the 2003 Red Book for a picture.

Conder101

Interesting thing about the gripped edge, while it is normally described as a series of indentations or widely spaced reeds, if you actually get a chance to look at a high grade specimen you would find that it is actually an ornamented edge with the device being a series of incuse rectangular boxes each of which has a raised pellet in the center kind of like [O] [O]. As the coin wears, and it doesn't take much, the pellet merges with the edges leaving you with [ ] [ ]. With more wear the corners of the rectangle lose definition and you finally end up with ( ) ( ).

Flash

Very interesting! Thanks everybody.