I agree with much that's been said, particularly the "build a relationship with dealers" part. Where's the best place to buy coins ? It depends...
They seem better protected in slabs. No ?
Makes a lot of sense. In addition, the scan has the washed-out look of a cleaned coin, but scans tend to do that.
I'm sure that's true. Relatively speaking, it was primitive conditions. 18th century / early 19th century metallurgy. The Mint had to make do...
Do you have a book ? Essential. Indespensible. Personally, I prefer Breen's book of large cents 1793 - 1814 (so-called "early dates").
And that's totally cool. I wouldn't dream of spending big money on copper at this stage. But do contact Shawn if you like and ask questions. Coin...
Early American Copper is the toughest area of the American series. Very little good copper at most shows. Even beat-down copper can be very...
Take a close look at this coin : http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=460&Lot_No=2000 Try not to drool ! :p That coin has light...
Usually, it's corrosion caused by exposure to water over time. Many of these coins were found in the ground, others in "less than ideal" storage...
Here are Shawn Yancey's current e-bay offerings. I can personally vouch for Shawn as man of rock-solid character and large cent copperhead par...
#1 post so far. :thumb: The only clarification might be the difference between a "bargain" and a "good deal"... but that's for a thread of it's...
Since these posts bear on what TPGs do and don't do, perhaps its best to hit some coin shows and look at lots of these - both slabbed and raw.
There are plenty of good people on E-Bay. Of course, there are some clunkers as well. I know some very reputable folks, well placed in the early...
Welcome, Brian ! :high5: I hope you enjoy the board. It's always hard to tell from scans. I don't think the coin is fake, but it has serious...
Good question ! First, let's recall that wear and nicks are two very different things. Yes, Unc should have no wear. But think of a coin's...
A great man once said "All generalities are bad" :D Exercise great caution when invoking the "AU58 > MS61" thinking. While I agree it is often...
...all of which gets us back to the definition phase. Exactly what is a scratch, anyway ? To me, the marks on that coin are not scratches....
In general, those marks would not disqualify that coin. It would slab. I see Indian gold with marks like those, in slabs, all the time. I'm not...
That is cool. Normally, such a late die state would show cracks and buckling - parts of the central design and legends suffer. But not so with...
One key is to view the coin in good light from many angles. Rotate the coin in front of you. Certain imperfections only show up at certain angles.
Separate names with a comma.
