Can someone critique this Half Cent (and provide an attribution/die state); Guess the Grade too!--Gr

Longacre · August 22, 2006 6:43AM

What do you think of this half cent? I recently purchased it. Unlike my normal method of making purchases, I took a flyer on this one and did not do any real research. I just liked the way it looked. I may have overpaid, but it was pretty inexpensive, so hopefully I didn't set a world record for the date.

Please let me know what you think, and if you can attribute it or provide some thoughts on die state, that would be appreciated. If you think it is a dog, cleaned, processed, badly recolored, etc., etc., please feel free to let me know that too. I am learning about early copper, so any education would be worthwhile.

Also, please feel free to offer a grading opinion.

DickyBetz · August 22, 2006 6:47AM

I like it. Nice smooth color.

Are those Heritage pictures?

Longacre · August 22, 2006 10:18AM

So the coin is that much of a dog, huh?

One reply.

lkenefic · August 22, 2006 10:22AM

I'd say a very nice looking 1835...MS63BN perhaps.

D · August 22, 2006 10:23AM

20x face.

-Daniel

ledzep87 · August 22, 2006 10:24AM

It is a contemporary counterfeit that someone placed into a holder.

Just kidding! It looks like a very nice coin......but I am no expert.

mgoodm3 · August 22, 2006 10:35AM

I like it. Looks like nice strike and clean surfaces.

IGWT · August 22, 2006 10:40AM

I like it although early copper scares me like most things I don't understand. AU53 BR $150-170.

RTS · August 22, 2006 10:49AM

...guessing it is a Cohen 1 / Gilbert 2 / Empire 83.

Coxe · August 22, 2006 10:58AM

Breen-1 (S T apart), terminal state V it looks like. It is dark but I think I see all of the expected signs of clashing and the reverse cracks for that designation. Dies rotated about 30 degrees. Grade. Looks MS63 to me but impossible to determine from the images. That is weakness, not wear on the obverse around 8 o'clock and reverse around 2 o'clock.

Longacre · August 22, 2006 11:01AM

Great comments so far! I'm really excited to get it in hand. The pic looks pretty good. Let's see how it looks when I get it.

Craton · August 22, 2006 11:09AM

mmmmmmmmmmmm..... chocolate!

Elcontador · August 22, 2006 11:10AM

The later date Classic Half Cents are closed-collar struck, so a good strike is to be expected. You bought the type coin of the series (have one myself). Your coin looks Unc. Contact marks and spotting are the grade limiting factors. I don't see much in the way of either from your image. If the eye appeal is attractive, it may go higher than 3. It is not an expensive coin. Think you'd have a harder time finding a similar looking Braided Hair Half Cent for the same price as this one.

AuldFartte · August 23, 2006 1:10AM

It's Cohen-1 alright, but I can't tell for certain from those pics whether it's Die State 1.0 or 2.0, but I'd guess 1.0 based on the pointy clash mark jutting out from the throat. You can tell better when you get it in hand, of course. Nice looking coin

Longacre · August 23, 2006 10:50AM

It's in an ANACS AU-55 holder. I am sure there must be something "wrong" with the coin or else it would not be in an ANACS slab.

When I get it, I will try to take some of my own pictures and post them. Thanks for all of the comments. I wonder what an EAC-er would grade it.

IGWT · August 23, 2006 11:16AM

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.

Myqqy · August 23, 2006 11:33AM

I like that one quite a bit- makes me want to put together a short set of those.....

coinbuf · August 23, 2006 12:07PM

I recently conversed with an EAC member about the 1835 half cent I recently purchased and he was kind enough to share some of his knowledge about the coin/date with me which I will share with you.

<<A half cent of that vintage that had original surfaces, not cleaned, and with AU detail as yours has should be light brown in color, or maybe tan. Just like a lightly circulated Lincoln cent. >>

<<The 1835s were hoard varieties. A guy named Sears obtained a bag of them during the bank holidays early in the 1930s and dispersed them. Of the 4500-5000 coins known to exist of this variety, several hundred are in Mint State, especially if you use commercial standards (EAC members have our own standards for what is Mint State, and they are considerably tighter than those of PCGS or NGC).>>

My coin is very similar in color to yours so I would say yours has been cleaned and retoined at some time in the past. I like that look but I now know what to look for in terms of originality in the future.

Chris

DMWJR · August 23, 2006 12:31PM

Wonder if this one has been cleaned and retoned? ......

Coxe · August 23, 2006 3:02PM

<< <i>It's Cohen-1 alright, but I can't tell for certain from those pics whether it's Die State 1.0 or 2.0, but I'd guess 1.0 based on the pointy clash mark jutting out from the throat. You can tell better when you get it in hand, of course. Nice looking coin

>>

There is more resolution in Breen as far as die states go. The clashing is certainly there . There are also a couple cracks that extend into the end of the reverse die's life. Those are states IV and V.

I - Perfect Dies. Initial state.
II - Single clash, visible on both sides.
III - Second clash. Breen raises the possibility that this state may include several episodes of repolishing and subsequent clashing.
IV - Crack from denticles through the top of second T of STATES.
V - Second crack...from denticles through first S of STATES to the wreath.

The terminal state is assumed to be V. However, if a piece with further cracking, or even a break, would show up, this is intermediate.

RichieURich · August 24, 2006 1:42AM

I sold an orange AU 1835 at a local show. Of course, I had marked CLEANED on the holder. I told the buyer that it certainly had been cleaned because they just aren't orange in any natural way. Pretty coin though.

Can someone critique this Half Cent (and provide an attribution/die state); Guess the Grade too!--Gr

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