Problem Free Lage Cents...Plugging Away!

morgantype

So, in working on my 7070, I kind of developed a hankering for old copper. I decided, well, in between my 7070, I will plug away at a album full of problem free Large Cents.

This proved much harder than first thought, in lookikng through the Large cents around town, problem free is a lot harder to come by than you would think. Now, I am not saying that these are all "perfect problem free cents" , with this project it is all about a wholesome, eye-appealing coin. I came into a lot the other day, and here they are.

Comments appreciated, and if anyone sees any rare die varieties, let me know. Thanks!

























This one is probably recolored somehow, but under the loop it looked pretty clean, and it didn't look like the "color" was sitting on top of the coin. Anywho, I liked it!





Happy HOlidays!

Justlooking

You are quite correct ... problem free in any series is tough to find. I like these!

ricko

Nice group of large cents... I like these... Cheers, RickO

BillJones

It all depends upon what you call problem free. I know that I am a "whale collector" in the eyes of some with "unlimited" funds, which is not really true. Actually I'm no more than a “fat dauphin,”

At any rate here are some comments, that are met to help you with the coins that you posted.

The dark toning on the 1832 large cent is a form of corrosion. The piece got a bit more wear on the high points which accounts for the light brown devices with darker fields.

The 1845 has mild roughness which indicates that corrosion was removed from it at some point.

The 1851 has the same sort of corrosion as that found on the 1832.

The 1856 is a nice coin. It has a few stray marks here and there, but generally I’d say it is typical for the VF-20 grade. It probably was lightly cleaned at one time and probably has some re-toning, but for a 160 year old coin that is made from copper, which is the most reactive all the classic coinage metals, it’s a decent piece.

The 1853 is the best coin you have shown us. It too has some stray marks, which are consistent with the Choice VF-30 grade, and the surfaces appear to be original.

The 1852 and 1851 have both been cleaned. The 1852 has been re-colored, but the 1851 might just be in the process of re-toning naturally. Both coins have decent detail, so they are quite collectable.

In general I’ll tell you that finding nice, no problem large cents is very tough these days because so many coins are sitting in variety collections. Back in the early to mid 1980s you could go to small coin shows and even flea markets and find nice large cents. The collector interest took off for Newcomb varieties of large cents (1816 to 1857), and the supply was snapped up. When a collector needs 10 or more coins from the same year, that eats up a lot of coins. Then when he starts collecting by die state, the supply is really depleted.

Believe it or not my father bought this piece for me at a flea market in the late 1980s. for $10. I still have this cent because it was the last coin my father bought for me so it is special. This was getting toward the end of the time that coins like this showed up from "marginal" collectors sources like a flea market.

AnkurJ

Good luck! It's a very tough series.

Walkerguy21D

While I share your desire for large cents that you developed while doing a 7070 set, I agree with most of billjones' comments, perhaps even a bit harsher than Bills.
I don't know what your budget allows, but certainly nicer circ late date large cents are available and not expensive. I would study a bit more and develop an eye for these, and the patience to wait for them.
Now if you venture into the early dates, compromise is the name of the game, and choice coins become prohibitevly expensive for most of us. Good luck as you go forward with your project!

santelia

Read a lot. The collectors, and certain dealers, are very knowledgeable about the series. I would
encourage you to join the Early American Copper Club; and read their newsletter. Don't be discouraged by the high-end ($$) collectors. All I met were approachable, and happy to talk coins. However, know what your budget is :-)

MidLifeCrisis

Bill Jones' reply captured most of my thoughts as I scrolled through your pictures.

We're not trying to be mean or rude to you...but better to tell you now and give you an opportunity to learn than to wait until you've spent a lot more money.

MikeInFL

I agree with Bill and others in this thread (although I find curious his example).

Bottom line: Finding problem free large cents is a serious numismatic challenge. 99% have issues or have been boinked with, IMO.

Here's what I would call a problem free circulated large cent:



But the truth is there are issues with the above coin -- some planchet roughness in the left obverse field. Some schmutz on the reverse below and right of E in ONE. Heck, some may even call it recolored.

Sometimes I think copper collecting is figuring out what types of "problems" we can live with....and each of us has to define for ourselves what "problem free" means

But whatever you do, collect what YOU like.

joecopper

morgan- I think that you got excellent comments and good advice. I especially encourage you to join EAC.

BillJones

The issue with pure copper is that it is a very reactive metal for coinage. All but a very tiny number of pieces tone down from their original red color. Beyond that the metal is very susceptible to moisture and corrodes rather easily if it is improperly stored. For that reason a great many large cents and half cents have been “worked on” at some point. Some of this work was needlessly done, but other work was done to preserve the piece in order to prevent further deterioration.

Silver is also susceptible to toning and corrosion, but not as much as copper. The odd thing is though is that the grading services will accept a great many more “enhancements” to silver than they will copper. I’ve seen early silver coins that have been completely striped of their original skin in slabs. Yet, if a copper piece has had much of anything done to it, it goes into a body bag or nowadays a “genuine” holder.

It’s almost impossible to find a large cent that does not have some issue. The skill factor comes in when as you learn which issues are serious or fatal, and which ones are minor. Sometimes it depends upon the rarity of the coin. A very rare piece, like a 1793 Strawberry Leaf cent, can have a lot wrong with it and still be a collectors’ prize while an 1853 large cent can very little wrong with it before it becomes a “cull.”

Edscoin

I have been collecting Large Cents for about 3 years in lower grades (g to XF) Mostly fine to very fine. Problem free coins in these grades are very hard to find. The only thing I would add to what everone else has said is even if you buy slabbed Large Cents, it does not always mean it's problem free!

ambro51

I think you should begin the study of die varieties right along with collecting the coins.

There will be a time when you will pick between two nearly identical pieces....knowing which one is the R7 will be priceless.

ProofCoins

I think your 45 was cleaned

BillJones

<< <i>I think you should begin the study of die varieties right along with collecting the coins.

There will be a time when you will pick between two nearly identical pieces....knowing which one is the R7 will be priceless. >>



It might be "priceless" information, BUT attributing Newcomb varieties WITH the book in front of you is a bear. The middle dates from 1816 to 1839 are not too tough, and there is a great book by John Wright that makes it easier. The late dates from 1840 to 1857 are often a lot tougher to attribute. I really marvel at the abilities of coin dealer Bob Grellman who can glance at one of these pieces and tell you the varieties off the top of his head.

You have got to be a seriously dedicated large cent collector to get into die varieties.