1848 braided hair cent - how to tell which newcomb die it is?
burghman
Posts: 1,003 ✭✭✭✭
I have a beat up 1848 braided hair large cent - in looking up the PCGS prices, I see there are 40-ish “newcomb die” varieties. I haven’t been able to find a site that explains the differences via google, and looking at all 40 on the PCGS site on separate web pages is tough to compare. Does anyone know where I can find a reference that explains the differences? I think my coin is in bad enough shape that I probably won’t be able to tell, but I’m still interested in understanding how to tell. Thanks.
Jim
Best Answers
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Insider2
Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭
You are going to need to get some reference books. You can join the ANA and borrow them, or go to a major coin show and consult a dealer in copper cents. Fist thing is to post a photo as some my be able to narrow the variety down in spite of how beat up it is.
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MikeInFL
Posts: 10,188 ✭✭✭✭
Even with Newcomb that large cent is going to be practically impossible to attribute.
Most of the 1848 large cents are attributed by very small die scratches and/or the spacing of the date -- with a coin in this condition your ability to identify these features is beyond limited.
If this were a valuable coin, it might be worth the effort, but there are very few collectors of 1848 large cents by die variety and those that do collect them are interested in much higher grades, generally speaking, so I'm not sure this coin is worth the time or effort if selling the coin is your goal.
To answer your question, the best source of attribution information for 1848 large cents is the Grellman book. You can get it here:
"The Die Varieties of United States Large Cents 1840-1857," by John R. Grellman, Jr., brown hardback, copyright 2001. This is THE book for late date large cents, and it is available for $100 postpaid directly from the author at:
Bob Grellman
P.O. Box 161055
Altamonte Springs, FL 32716-1055
(407) 682-9592 or (407) 221-1654Collector of Large Cents, US Type, and modern pocket change.5
Answers
Thanks insider2. I don’t think it’s going to make a difference with this coin, and my curiosity for this one situation isn’t enough to push me in the directions you recommend. Here are some pics to show you just how bad the coin’s condition is...
Jim
Because most of the die variations of the Late Date cents like this one tend to quite subtle, I think it will be impossible to tell which one it is, given the condition.
That said, Insider offers good advice. If you plan to get involved with copper, you need access to the reference books, or access to those that have them.
My interest wanes after 1839, and pretty much stops completely after 1843, so I don't have much in the way to help, but others on the forum do.
Best of luck to you!
I am not capable of helping you in regards to Newcomb designations... Though I would say it may not be possible on that cent.... If you are truly interested, as mentioned above, get the literature... most of us have 'numismatic libraries', and we all started with one book...
Cheers, RickO
I have always found Newcomb hard to use even if the coin is in decent shape.
I need to get the Grellman book, as this seems to be THE reference for these.
What about the middle dates? Is "The Cent Book" by Wright a good reference? It's available free online.
Yes, the Wright book is superb.
Stumbled across this thread as the same question as the OP, except I believe my coin has enough details left to attribute.
Which book should I be purchasing for the Newcomb varieties? I don't mind adding such a book to my collection, but is there also an online guide for such a thing?
https://tinyurl.com/wbuh7ba (Search PCGS on ebay)
I am not aware of an online guide.
The book that can best help you attribute these is listed in post #3 of this thread (by Grellman).
Good luck....Mike