Anybody got an explanation for this? Large cent, trimmed to half cent size ... or something

mirabela · December 21, 2008 1:27PM

This is one of the weirder things I've come across. Anyone recognize something you know anything about here?

AnkurJ · December 21, 2008 1:28PM

Maybe it was struck on a half cent planchet? If so, worth big $$$$

mirabela · December 21, 2008 1:30PM

Good guess, but it's just a shade too small for that.

savoyspecial · December 21, 2008 1:32PM

appears too evenly struck to have been a wrong size planchet......cut down to be worn as jewelry piece perhaps??

Drizzt · December 21, 2008 1:42PM

cut down to small cent size? Still had copper left over?

engraved · December 21, 2008 2:13PM

I saw something like this before. The large cent was cut down like this and then one side was engraved to be a stamp or seal. This may be the first step of making one of these seals.

jonathanb · December 21, 2008 3:11PM

The copperheads were a political party in the Civil War-ish time period. They used cut down large cents as membership symbols (copper head -- get it?). I've seen pieces like this one attributed to them. I've also see much higher-quality carving jobs attributed to them, where the liberty head was snugly trimmed to shape, not on a round-but-smaller disk as here. So the short answer is that I can't say anything definitive, but if you want to track down more info on the copperheads, you might be able to find something useful.

ProofArtworkonCircs · December 21, 2008 3:21PM

Copperheads was a term invented by their opponents identifying them as like poisioness snakes that struck without warning. I doubt that they would use that term themselves.

cladking · December 21, 2008 3:31PM

I've seen large cents made into machine parts and the like.

It looks like about the right size for an old type fuse.

dcarr · December 21, 2008 5:21PM

I've had a few of these in the past.
I believe there was a time when large cents were not legal tender, but small cents were still valid.
So some large cents were cut down to small-cent size so as to be spent. Note, of course, how "One Cent"
is still visible when a large cent is cut down.

MillerJW · December 21, 2008 8:11PM

That is very cool, how clean are the edges of the coin??? is it smooth or pointed ect...

pb2y · December 24, 2008 6:12AM

Test strike on the new nickel cent planchet. Wieght and
alloy would match the 1856 Flying Eagle Cent.

<< <i>This is one of the weirder things I've come across. Anyone recognize something you know anything about here?

>>

FredWeinberg · December 24, 2008 6:24AM

It's a nice example of a 'cut down' Large Cent.

It's not a wrong planchet error........

mirabela · December 24, 2008 6:33AM

<< <i>It's a nice example of a 'cut down' Large Cent >>

OK, so is that a regularly occuring thing? Was that a common practice? Why?

Thanks -- this has been interesting to follow.

COALPORTER · December 24, 2008 6:45AM

Maybe it was cut down to work in penny arcade games ?

PerryHall · December 24, 2008 7:09AM

<< <i>Maybe it was cut down to work in penny arcade games ? >>

Seems like an auful lot of work just to play a game. Also, it would be too thick to fit the game's coin slot.

shorecoll · December 24, 2008 8:56AM

There is a collecting specialty of large cents cut down to use for all sorts of things, spacers, gears, etc. I don't know if any of those guys hang out here or not.

lordmarcovan · December 24, 2008 9:08AM

I had a 1570-something Elizabeth I English coin that I initially thought was a threepence at first glance, until I realized it was a sixpence that had been cut down like that. (Add to that the fact that I am not sure Elizabeth I even struck threepence coins).

But that was silver. The coin had probably been clipped, as was the case with so many thin hammered silver coins.

I have seen this phenomenon on more modern, thicker, nonsilver coins, though. I am not sure what it is all about. I gave a cut-down 1972 Mexican peso like that to somebody here on the boards.

Boy, that would have been cool if that were struck on a half cent planchet, huh?

With large cents, you never know. Ever seen the ones that were made into gears or piecrust tools or "buzzers"? I think I have one of those downtown in my antique mall case.

Anybody got an explanation for this? Large cent, trimmed to half cent size ... or something

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