Wanted: Low grade 1816 large cent DARK

pcunix

As I explained at Coins and Genealogy I'm trying to recreate a family coin collection.

The 1816 LC in that collection was very dark - black, almost, and porous looking planchet probably grading about G06. I could afford to bump the grade a bit, but as I'm trying to reconstruct what is in my memory, I probably shouldn't by very much.

I read about this year as a child and remember that 1816 was the "Year without a summer" and somebody said the cent may have been dark because of volcanic ash. True or not, that was one of the little things that made coin collecting interesting to me.

If you happen to have something like this for sale, I'd like to take a look. I do keep looking on ebay but haven't found one that fires up those old brain cells yet..

SaorAlba

<< <i>As I explained at Coins and Genealogy I'm trying to recreate a family coin collection.

The 1816 LC in that collection was very dark - black, almost, and porous looking planchet probably grading about G06. I could afford to bump the grade a bit, but as I'm trying to reconstruct what is in my memory, I probably shouldn't by very much.

I read about this year as a child and remember that 1816 was the "Year without a summer" and somebody said the cent may have been dark because of volcanic ash. True or not, that was one of the little things that made coin collecting interesting to me.

If you happen to have something like this for sale, I'd like to take a look. I do keep looking on ebay but haven't found one that fires up those old brain cells yet.. >>



I think it had less to do with the volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1815 and a lot more to do with the after effects of the War of 1812. Up until 1814 the US Mint in Philadelphia was still able to use up blanks that had been purchased from Boulton & Co in England prior to the war. In 1815 the war ended, but not in time to have blanks shipped over from Boulton in time to strike the cents that year - which is why there are no 1815 dated cents - the only year since 1793 that no cents were struck. In 1816 cent mintage resumed, but I am pretty sure the blanks came from Boulton and shouldn't have been any different than in the prior years. The mint continued purchasing cent blanks from Boulton up until ca. 1837-8 when they started making their own blanks from native sourced bronze.

pcunix

<< <i>

I think it had less to do with the volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1815 and a lot more to do with the after effects of the War of 1812. Up until 1814 the US Mint in Philadelphia was still able to use up blanks that had been purchased from Boulton & Co in England prior to the war. In 1815 the war ended, but not in time to have blanks shipped over from Boulton in time to strike the cents that year - which is why there are no 1815 dated cents - the only year since 1793 that no cents were struck. In 1816 cent mintage resumed, but I am pretty sure the blanks came from Boulton and shouldn't have been any different than in the prior years. The mint continued purchasing cent blanks from Boulton up until ca. 1837-8 when they started making their own blanks from native sourced bronze. >>



Thanks! I probably have read that too but had forgotten!