A friend of Mine tossed me this Half cent today. Said, he couldn't quite make the date, Any one have an Idea? Or, be able to attribute it?
Well you can see the 180 and it is a classic head which was used from 1809 to 1836, so the only year that had an 0 for the third digit was 1809. This is a C-4, the circle inside the 0 variety, an R-2 coin. Diagnostic is the point of leaf below S2 is all the way over by the left side of the O in OF.
I've found the the "o in 0" variety is a tough coin to get. IMO it's rarer than R-2. I think it was the last coin I got to complete the set -- and I've got two of the 1811 varieties. My first "o in 0" wouldn't slab. It was labeled "cleaned" but I never found out how. I suspect dipped because I couldn't see any abrasion lines even under 9x.
You can still cherry-pick them, though. EBay sellers ask way too much for them. I found a VF30 one for $85 raw on eBay. Had it slabbed with PCGS.The half cent market isn't that strong. Hasn't been for a few years IMO.
Looks very much like one I dug in my mother's back yard metal detecting. After all was said and done, it turned out to be a counterfeit. The date didn't match the design. Still has value though I think.
I am gonna toss this one back to my friend. (also happens to be my coin dealer) and let him know. He has all ways been great to me and my 9 year old. Thanks for the help Ya'll.
