Hi All - I recently acquired this coin and wanted to get your opinion on its value. It is a 1794 Large Cent (I believe with the Head of 1794) graded "VF20 Details" and "Heavily Corroded" by ANACS. Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think. Cheers - Coin Dawg:kewl:
nice details! This is a great type coin to have in any condition. I would guess that it was in the ground for an extended period of time, maybe a metal detector find.
As said previously that is a great coin to have in any condition! Book values on it in vf20 show about $1200-$1500 but i'm sure the corrosion drops it by at least 50% IMHO but i am no pro. I would think it to be worth at least $500-$600. Thanks for sharing and welcome to CT by the way! J
I do not know how others view certain problems with coins, I tend to at least drop them a grade, in the case of a heavily corroded coin ow/vf-20 I would tend to think of its price more as a g-vg. Not that I am in that market, I would have to be pretty flush to consider buying it. Too many other coins out there
Depends on the variety - I can not see enough to attribute this one. Just too many 1794's to go thru. So it gets really hard to put a price on some of these.
Hey everyone - Thanks for all your replies. In answer to the “heavily corroded = heavily discounted” question, I did in fact purchase the coin for a very fair price (about the cost of the coin in G-4 without corrosion). I was just excited to have a coin like this with these kinds of details (especially on the obverse). Before this one, the oldest US issued coin I had was a 1795 in Fair-2 condition with the reverse completely obliterated. So this is a total upgrade for me (without having to spend too much money). And thinking about the time period in which this coin was issued is a thrill. I like to think that this was the cent that George Washington used to purchase a cup of coffee at the StarBucks equivalent for that time period. Or maybe he’s a “double soy latte with an extra shot’ kind of guy? Thanks again for you thoughts.
Nice coin. It very well may have been owned by George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, or Patrick Henry at one time or another. The odds may be better than we realize. I don't know what the U.S. population was in 1794 but it couldn't have been very large. The fewer people around at the time means the greater the likelihood that your coin was possessed by someone of significant historical importance. Just the fact that our nation was only 8 years old when your coin was minted adds to its allure. Again, nice coin!
