Got a copy of the Grellman book, and spent some time this afternoon trying to attribute some of my late large cents. Had absolutely no luck. Using a 10x loupe. Any advice to a rookie?
You picked some of the toughest ones to start with. What kind of grades are we talking about? Some of the lower grades are impossible. I have both the grellman book and the newcomb book. Sometimes it takes both books for me to attribute these coins - and even then there are times that the attribution escapes me. You can try posting some of the coins and I can try - but I am not always successful. Some of the diagnostics are hard to see.
Mine are all XF-AU. I probably need to try with more light as well. When he refers to vertical lines between points, how distinct are they?
Sometimes they are very distinct - other times they might not be there for the die state. When they are it is a bonus and helps to attribute it.
ok, spent a bit more time with it this evening, and was able to figure out two. I've got an N-14 1851 and an N-3 1855. Only 8 more to go. This is much more difficult than I expected, and I expected it to be pretty tough. A lot of fun once you figure it out, however.
Well, that's certainly true ! In a since, the difficulty is it's own reward. Attributing coins is very educational and sharpens the eye. These are very tough, but the mental rewards are great. The fact that's it's so challenging is one reason few collect Late Dates by die variety. The differences are minute, so they don't have the fascination of major varieties like a Starred Reverse or 1/000.
As Mark mentioned you are starting on the toughest series of large cents for attributing. I find that I don't try to use all the reference numbers. For the petite heads concentrate on the first three numbers, the fourth one to me is rater subjective. For the Mature heads concentrate on numbers 1, 2, and 5. For the 1850's number 4 is also useful. If one of the numbers is clearly a given reference point concentrate on those varieties first and see if the other numbers fit or are a close fit. Remember that the positions can vary a little due to die wear or polishing. If you think you have it narrowed down to a couple of possibilities make sure you read the die state information because it will tell you which features may disappear as the die ages, and what features may appear or become stronger. The feature you are looking for and can't find may have worn off the die. A lot of the points and lines are very fine or faint. fortunately you are working with beter qality coins which will make i easier. Oh and as Bob says of there is dirt or grime around he stars. letters, design etc you may have to use some acetone to to remove the "stuff" in order to be able to see the fine points and lines.
