i got a large cent the other day fairly cheap. I believe it a small date large fraction. I could be wrong too. Could any of you help me lock down the type?
That's how I figured it to be the info I got. The small date was easy but the fraction is the hard part. To me the 1 sits high in the ribbon but without the rest it's hard for me to lock it down. Others can tell from other locations what variety it is.
I'm sure the crud came with it, but do you want to keep it? Verdigris like this can destroy the coin. VerdiCare will remove that which can be removed and stabilize the stuff that is left. Just a suggestion.
I was thinking about doing something but it looks like someone has tried other things on it. I think if the crud would be cleaned off then nothing could be read at all on it. This is most likely a detector find. I have found hundreds of large cents that look like this. This thing was most likely a low VF when it was lost.
Not sure but I think 1803 S-261 Small date large fraction and the obverse die was later altered privately to create the 1804 restrikes.
Sometimes it's hard to get him to tell you more, Cool find! btw Just Pickin @Conder101 It's more about you doing the research.
In the early years of the US Mint when dies were retired they were not defaced/destroyed and simply sold off as scrap metal. Being high quality steel they were typically bought and used to make other things so few dies from back then have survived to today. But they seem to have been more available in the mid 19th century. (Joseph Mickley bought a bunch of these old dies back in 1816, when his estate was auctioned the government eventually bought the dies back after first trying to confiscate them.) Sometime probably around 1860 someone acquired the 1803 S-261 obv die and a reverse die from an 1820 N-12 large cent. They altered the obv die from a 3 to a 4 and then used the dies to create 1804 "restrikes". The first public sales record for the restrikes was in 1868. The restikes are collectable today and are not cheap. They were struck in at least two batches. The obv was heavily rusted and after a modest number of coins the obv was ground or polished removing some of the rust and some of the central obv detail. The restrikes were made of copper but at least two were struck in tin after the grinding of the obv die.
Oh ok I'm the dumb ass. I've been sick and my kids are dropping like flies with the same thing I just sat down for a min to read everything in detail. Sorry for the bonehead comment
