Guess The Grade: 1794 Large Cent :::GRADE REVEALED:::

braddick

Ok, just for fun, on this Saturday morning... here's a Guess The Grade for you.
Hints:
- It's ANACS graded with NO Net Grade attached.
-The date, albeit weak, is visible.

Good luck! I'll post the full slab (answer) in awhile.

Obverse:


Reverse:

kieferscoins

AG-03.

Cameron Kiefer

JadeRareCoin

G-4 is how I would price this example, but it draws a respectable premium due to the variety, which is S-51. It's one of the "office boy" reverses. The rarity is R.5-, but it's a popular variety. I would love to own the coin that you posted here.

Barry

VG8

Colorfulcoins

Detail is very nice butthe uneven wear knocks it down.....I'd guess it would be a G6 in ANACS plastic(but uneven wear could make it G4).

Dennis88

G4

braddick

Thanks guys for your excellent guesses. I even learned something about this large cent I hadn't known (regarding the variety)! I purchased it off of Heritage a few weeks ago (along with an 1805 Bust dime I'll be showing later with another "Guess the Grade).

JadeRareCoin

What did you pay for the coin, if I may ask? At a Fr-02 price, that's a rip, especially considering that it's an R.5 variety!! The most important thing about your coin is the reverse (office boy). I assume that ANACS knocked it because it was missing the date. To me, the date is not too important on S-51. The rest of the coin looks great.

braddick

<< <i>What did you pay for the coin, if I may ask? At a Fr-02 price, that's a rip, especially considering that it's an R.5 variety!! The most important thing about your coin is the reverse (office boy). I assume that ANACS knocked it because it was missing the date. To me, the date is not too important on S-51. The rest of the coin looks great. >>

I didn't want to bug you, but would you mind telling us what the "Office Boy" reverse is all about (I'm familiar with the Office Boy obverse...)? I honestly have not heard of this variety.
Regarding the date: it is weak, but titled just right is visible, and I agree. ANACS sort of "net" graded this one due to that and a bit of even porosity, I believe.

On price, I bid and won about seven lots that night and think this one was about $115. or so.

JadeRareCoin

I didn't want to bug you, but would you mind telling us what the "Office Boy" reverse is all about (I'm familiar with the Office Boy obverse...)? I honestly have not heard of this variety.

The "Office Boy" obverse that you are talking about is the famous "Fallen 4" variety. It has been suggested that an apprentice, aka "office boy", cut the S-63 (fallen 4) variety, due to the poorly spaced and orientated letters and numbers. Well, that same "kid" may have cut the reverse of your S-51 (used on several varieties). The office boy reverse does not get as much attention and glory as the office boy obverse, but it is still important.....and more scarce than S-63. Take a look at the lettering of the reverse on your new coin, especially the fraction placement. Pretty pathetic, don't you agree? Some call these the "drunk die sinker" varieties. It is wonderful that the mint employed such an amateur to sink a few dies. Otherwise we would not have coins with such great character.

BTW, you did very well on the price. Nice rip!

braddick

I didn't know that. Now that I look at it, the fraction does look "off". Also the letter spacing on C E N T is poor.

Thanks for the info.

Conder101

There are other awkward features on the reverse as well. The diesinker obviously didn't believe that the leaves should overlap so almost all of them are seperate from each other and point in well seperated directions, and the other lettering is poorly spaced. For example the TE of UNITED are well seperated, the D is low and tips to the left, The S is high and well seperated from the rest of the word STATES, and it doesn't show on this coin but the last S is also high and WELL away from the E being a third of the distance between the E and the O in OF. You mentioned the spacing in CENT but look at the gap between the N and E of ONE.

I wouldn't get too excited about this coin being an R-5-. I think it is over rated since there are something like 60 pieces listed in the last census, and I have seen over a dozen of these listed and S-50 for sale in the past year or so. It also has a fairly high condition census with the 16th finest known still being a F-15. On the other hand ANACS blew the grade on this one, and this is a case where the EAC grade would definitely be higher than the slab grade.

hookedoncoins

I was going to guess AG-3, possibly G-4. I think you got a pretty good deal for a Fair-02.

kieferscoins

I guessed the closest!

Cameron Kiefer

JadeRareCoin

I wouldn't get too excited about this coin being an R-5-.

This variety is ALWAYS worth a premium, if attributed before pricing. Do you think that any of the copper guys would price an R.5- as an R.1? Not likely. Even Sheldon assigned a $4 basal premium. Compare that to the very common S-65 Shielded Hair (R.1), that Sheldon assigned a $1 basal premium. jmho

lordmarcovan

What hookedoncoins said.

Conder101

I'm not saying it isn't worth a premium, but there are high premium R-5's and low premium R'5's. This one used to be a high premium one but the premium has been dropping as more of them have turned up. It is a popular variety so even as it dropps to an R-4 it will still be a high premum R-4 but it does have some down side to it. I'm not trying to put it down, in fact I don't have one and I would pay a premium for one. I would just be a little more conservative though since I know that they are relatively readily available.