Does anyone know the values of the 1803 Draped Bust Large Cent Varieties in the lower grades, say G-4 to F-15? I have an 1803 Large Cent - Small Date, Large Fraction with EDS Die Break from the rim through the "D" in UNITED (Sheldon 259 Variety) that is in about F-15 condition. I also have an 1803 Large Cent (I think these are Large Date, Small Fraction) with the Stemless Wreath, Doubled Fraction Bar and Doubled second "S" in STATES (Sheldon 243 Variety) that will probably go G-4 in condition. Both Varieties seem to be extremely scarce but there is little that I can find on their' values in the lower grades! Any help would be appreciated! Thanks...Frank
Neither the 243 or the 259 is scarce. The 243 is an R-2 and the 259 is a low R-3. And the 243 is not a large date small fraction, that would be the S-264 which is the rarest or the 1803's at R-5 and $5,000 is Good.
I always recommend checking heritage - compare your coin to the auction coin. So search for the date and variety - that should give you a feel for the price.
Copper is tough to put a price on because grade means everything. With silver, F12 means something definite, but not in early copper. Color and corrosion are crucial to the value. The S-259 is valued at $60-$1250 depending on condition at the single grade of F-12. F-15 can go as high as $2000 according to Copper Quotes by Robinson. Try hooking up with EAC. There is a gent named Bob Grellman who will attribute and grade your copper accurately for just a couple of bucks. He doesn't slab, but his opinion is highly regarded and will really add value should you sell. I have used his service on a 1798 and 1812, both XF+ coins that were dark and had surface corrosion. My coins sold with no problem for decent money because he graded then at F-12 net with a clear explanation. Good luck- Mike
Mike, Thanks for the information! From what I have been able to find, I felt that the 1803 S-259 was valued fairly high for non-problem coins. I believe that mine is a solid F-15, pleasing Brown color with no corrosion whatsoever. The problems that I can see is that it is an Early Die Stage where the Die Break from the rim through "D" in UNITED has just started and it has several rim dings. The 1803 S-243 is another matter! It has a lot of wear and porousity but is a nice Brown color and has enough details left to get a VG-8 grade but some TPG's might downgrade it to a G-4. Do you have a web link to EAC and how can I contact MR. Grellman? Thanks! Frank
Frank- Go to www.eacs.org and look under the directors tab. The Region 4 chair is Mr. Grellman and it has a link directly to him. You may need to join EAC to be eligible for his service, but even that is cheaper than a single slab from a TPG. I hope he still does this- it has been several years since he did my coins. Warning: Getting involved in early copper makes all other coin collecting seem pretty lame, with the exception of early half dollars! Good luck and have fun, Mike
