Large Cents

wcoen

Looking to purchase a Liberty Cap large cent for $25,000 - $50,000. I saw some nice UNC's for sale in the $25,000 to $50,000 range.

How are prices on these right now?

Do you think these will do well long term?

llafoe

Great first post!

renomedphys

Talk to Tony Terranova, Chris McCauley, Doug Bird, or Tom Reynolds. I'd give Tony or Chris a call first. They seem to handle a considerable amount of this type of material.

jmski52

It'll be a nice coin at that price. Nice coins usually hold their own.

Walkerguy21D

I agree, get some real expert advice if you are looking to spend that kind of dough, and do some more research on auction records. That is a pretty big price spread, so I'm sure you can get a decent selection in that wide of range.
Since it sounds like you want it for more of a 'type' piece, I would not spend a fortune on a lower grade but rarer die variety; rather, get a more common die variety, but high grade. This will maintain much more appeal for a broader audience going forward.
As for the market and prices, nice early date large cents have been 'fully priced' for decades. I've seen articles by John Adams from the early '70's complaining about grade inflation and high prices on 1794 cents. I have never seen anything go 'cheap' that fits that bill, regardless of how the rest of the coin market and economy is doing. Hopefully BillJones will chime in, as he has much more experience than I do. If anything, it has gotten worse recently - prices on many of these coins have gotten almost crazy high. Good luck and keep us all posted!

rays

The best early copper continues to advance in price year after year.
A real unc flowing hair 1794 or 1795 cent should generally be in the condition census, photographed and graded by Noyes, and probably graded by Bland as well. It would certainly be in CQR (Copper Quotes by Robinson). A $50 investment in CQR would be worth it even if you are only buying one coin.

1798CentCollector

Depending on you level of interest and the amount of time you want to put into the decision making process itself.........I'd suggest taking some time to do some research and obtain copies of the Walter Husak Sale and Dan Holmes I Early Date sale catalogs along with FPLs. These catalogs and prices can be viewed on the Goldberg site www.goldbergcoins.com. (Dan Holmes) and Heritage site ( Wallter Husak ). Both collections contain superior high grade Condition Census '94s and '95s....most with great provenances. You'll get an idea of the prices realized and the kind of quality and rarity of the Liberty Caps that can be had. Also, take a look (at the Condition Census compiled by Bill Noyes to see what is "available" /quanity of high grade specimens, and in what grades, including prices realized at previous sales. You may have to seek out a dealer or advanced collector with access to the latest "CC" information. At the price tag you are talking about, you should be able to find a nice no-problem average plus to choice coin in a rarity 1 or 2 range. Talk to some copper specialist dealers (also, if possible, the collectors that have assembled these collections, like Walter Husak and Denis Loring) at shows that might have the ability to provide some guidence in helping you make decisions, and possibly locate a nice specimen. I'm partial, but consider purchasing a EAC graded equivalent AU-UNC coin rather than a purely commercial grade coin. Condition is of the utmost importance....nice surfaces, good color, and no major problems. Good Luck

DorkGirl

BillJones

This is a 1795 S-76b, which is one of the most common Liberty Cap varieites. The S-78 is a little more common in Mint State, but it often has strike issues. Many of the pieces like this I have seen offered have minor planchet or strike issues. This one is very nice for the grade, which is PCGS MS-62, Brown, so I bought it. I paid on the lower end of your stated price range. The 1794, Head of '94 varieties, are prettier, but they cost more. Forget about anything dated 1793 (truly impossible), and 1796 is harder than the 1795 dated coins also.

If you don't know how to grade these piece, be careful. It's easy to over pay in this area. This one is among the best examples that I have seen that I could afford so I pounced on it. It was one of the best I'd seen in the last few years that was offered at a show, but I have not seen most of the auction material.