Draped bust 1802 large cent - help needed

Hi CT friends

Although I'm usually collecting ancients, I can find some pleasure to the occasionnal US modern coin from time to time.
I recently came across my first draped bust large cent. It's worn, of course, but not completely dead, and I would like you folks, to help me assigning a grade, as I'm not familiar with grading (grading ancients isn't the same animal). I would give a F-12, but it might very well be slightly better, or only a VG-8.

Diameter is 28.6 mm and weight is 10.81 gr

click image to enlarge



Thanks for looking and giving advice

Q

 

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Hi Q, I grade your cent VG, but with a rough planchet, some corrosion mostly on the reverse, net G4, or thereabouts.
The variety, in case you are interested is Sheldon 236, which has a rarity of 1 (fairly common variety).

 

I agree with the VG sharpness grade. It’s a little rough, but better than most of the pieces with planchet issues are. On the commercial market, I think that this coin would be a bargain at Good-4 money. An early U.S. coin graded Good is usually quite ugly these days.

 

Thank you both for your input and explanations.

I would have imagined a bit better, seing examples on the internet assigned with higher grades and looking very similar or sometimes lower, but again I'm not familiar with these issues.

Anyway, I'm happy with this one which cost me near to zero (about 30 $ worth of silver coins that I hadn't pay for, except one worn Franklin half)

Q

 

One aid to learning how to grade coins is look at how much detail there is in a design when it is Mint State or Choice AU. From there you can study books like ANA Grading Guide which has pictures of the coins as you go down the grading scale.

This 1798 cent is graded AU-53 and has received the CAC blessing. EAC would probably grade this one as an EF-40. As you can see, there coins had a marvelous amount of detail for something that was just an "humble cent."

 

The grading game between EAC and the rest of the U.S. coin market is similar to the grading used for ancient coins and hammered English. The dealer who auctioned this James I half laurel gold coin to me graded it "VF +."

I would grade this coin AU given the amount of luster and detail in the king's portrait. The weakness in the shield on the reverse is due to strike. The obverse was sinking in the fields, and the king's protrait is the highest part of the design. There was not enough metal to fill the reverse die and therefore the detail was never strcuk up.

Here is "stright on photo" that shows the detail.



This one was shot at an angle to show the luster.