I've gathered that it's early American and in rough shape, but is there any more information that can be taken from the photos? I've heard there are some very skilled and knowledgable users here that can sometimes date coins even when they're as far gone as this one.
https://www.pcgs.com/photograde/#/Cents I was thinking Liberty Large Cap cent due to the large Bow in the hair. 1793-96 edit: I think I'm seeing things ... the 1796-1807 seems to fit .. no large bow in the hair.
This is definitely a Draped Bust Large Cent, minted from 1796 - 1807. It's difficult, maybe impossible, to determine the date when the coin is in this condition. Close up pics of the date area may help.
The reverse is a Reverse of 97/99 Draped Bust Large Cent. The location of the stems close to the leaves and the outside doublet under RI being free from the wreath stem eliminate 96s. The High 1 in the denominator and the closeness of the leaf over (N)E to the top of the E and the position of the berry make the 1801 reverse C the most probable match, though the confidence level is low. The Obverse is not inconsistant with the S-216.
Wow! That's amazing. Now, I'm assuming if it can be graded at all it would be very low. Any thoughts on what the grade might be or if it would even be worth sending out?
It would probably come back Poor 1 Details or Basil 1 in EAC terminology. Certainly no more than Fr-2. It's not worth the cost of having a TPG encapsulate it. A S-216 is a common R1 variety and carries no premium. You could pick these up in cull boxes for $10 or less.
