1851/81?? large cent.

Not the most obvious example but I believe I can see the marks to identify the overdate on this one. Think so too?

 

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Hello Jerry. I am not convinced that this is the variety 1851/81. I've seen one firsthand and it is definitely not the variety based on these photos.

 

sometimes the lines on obverse are faint or gone in later die states. The reverse has the extra metal on the upper part on N in cent. The date position matches.

 

I see a slight distortion on the 5 and 1 but not enough to declare a true '51/'81, sorry. Good luck.

 

Like I said not the most obvious but I have sent cents similar to this on e to Bob Grellman and he said the knob on the N on reverse is sometimes the best way to attribute a late stage N-3

 

? '51/81? 'Splain Lucy. Dey didn't make large cents in '81.

 

This is a true story. I went metal detecting for my first time in the woods. My friend found an 1851 Large cent. After we looked at it better and looked in the "redbook", we discovered that it was in fact the 1851/81. He's no longer a friend and no way to see another picture but we just looked at the date, and it was very evident. Maybe, like you said, later die state. I would try to "clean" it some with Acetone in order to see the date better. No?

 

Here you go Chief....
Ron Guth:

The 1851/81 Large Cent is more than an overdate, it is a normal date over an inverted date. When the engraver added the date to the die, he failed to notice that the date punch was inverted. Upon realizing his mistake, he oriented the punch correctly and restamped the date into the die. To efface the error, the engraver ground down the die, resulting in a weak undertype and myriad die lines on the lower and right obverse. The 1851/81 Large Cent is a very popular variety and one which can be detected quite easily, even on worn examples.

Mint State examples of the 1851/81 Large Cent are scarce. Most are Brown and most fall into the MS-63 and MS-64 grade levels. No Brown examples are known above MS66. Red-Brown examples are very rare and full Red examples are exceedingly rare.

 

its what they call the overdate error.

 

Sorry but I have to say no to it being the 51/81. This is my example of the variety. Click on the images for a larger view.

 

yours is an N-3 overdate also. The lines are sharper in yours but the bump on the N in cent on reverse is there too. Look at the date position on the two coins. Look the same to me. I know its an N-3 because of reverse. No question IMO

 

I wish you luck with that.