1804 Half Cent: my first crack out

This one was pretty easy to do, since it was PCI. My next one will be a PCGS coin. Any advice? Feel free to post any of your crack outs!


@Rheingold @micbraun

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I got lots of advice. What do you want advice about?

- buying PCI coins?
- why you shouldn't buy PCI coins?
- why you shouldn't rely on the grade on PCI coins?
- recognizing cleaned and re-toned coins?
- recognizing coins with artificial toning?
- recognizing coins with altered surfaces?
- how to recognize surface issues before you buy a coin?
- how to crack coins out of PCGS slabs?
- why you shouldn't crack coins out of PCGS slabs?

Select an option for further information.

 

The PCI slab is one of the early ones. I would have thought they put it in a red label problem slab. PCI was pretty tough at that time. The slab probably caused the odd color the coin has today. I think it was a good choice for the Dansco.

I did several 7070 sets and cracked a lot of slabs. Today I can see that I wasted a lot of money. The coins would bring more today if still in the slabs.

 

I cracked out an 1804 half cent from an ANACS slab for my 7070 album.

 

I will only crack out details coins for my 7070.

 

@physics-fan3.14,

Since you offered, I think it would be VERY EDUCATIONAL for all of us if you would answer EACH topic you brought up below. Thanks in advance.

- buying PCI coins?
- why you shouldn't buy PCI coins?
- why you shouldn't rely on the grade on PCI coins?
- recognizing cleaned and re-toned coins?
- recognizing coins with artificial toning?
- recognizing coins with altered surfaces?
- how to recognize surface issues before you buy a coin?
- how to crack coins out of PCGS slabs?
- why you shouldn't crack coins out of PCGS slabs?

 

ldhair, posted: "The slab probably caused the odd color the coin has today."

That's correct, and it comes off easily with your finger turning the coin back to brown.

 

Cracking out PCGS slabs, please. I plan to crack out the 1897 Barber Half. I think it would be a great addition to my 7070 album.

The half cent was a purchase from almost 10 years ago, when I had a lot less knowledge of coin grading. I'm aware that it is a details grade coin with altered surfaces, but I still like it and think the ~$80 I paid for it to be worth it. You're welcome to hold a different opinion. I don't intend to upgrade it in my 7070 album, but do wonder if I should attempt @Insider 's note about trying to remove the artificial toning. I don't want to make the coin worse...

 

XF45, straight grade

 

The 1804 half cent I cracked out of the ANACS slab was a nice looking coin that was graded XF details-corrosion. The corrosion didn't detract from the nice details of the coin. There are many very nice looking early copper half and large cents that are given a details designation. These coins are very affordable to those of us without deep pockets.

 

Nice coin! Probably about $200 coin in XF45.

 

Here’s a few random ones I have photos of before and after.

PCGS QC

>


>


>


(Cracked for Dansco, then after a time..)
>

 

He doesn’t want to sell the coin, the goal is to fill all the slots of the Dansco album. That’s why I’d encourage him to crack it out :-D

 

The reason I departed from the 7070 was that with so many different types and high $ amounts for the scarcer ones, if you are building a problem free set it is very challenging to complete without cracking TPG slabs in at least a few of the types. I found I was consistently upgrading as time went on and saw the writing on the wall that if I was going to keep that up long term I would end up cracking multiple slabs per slot. Decided to leave that format as I wasn’t interested in doing that (the above half cent is an example of the outcome of that, though I agreed with NGC on the grade.)

I plan to do another 7070 someday but I will do it in low grades across the board so that it is well matched, more easily found raw without problems and won’t involve continuous upgrading because the goal will be-well matched low grade material from the get-go. The second reason I stopped was that I didn’t want the MS coins I had in there to deteriorate or get hairlined from the slides, so a low grade set solves that problem as well.

 

Irridescent blue toning on copper can often be created with acetone and removed again with oil. So, take a RB copper coin and sometimes it will turn blue/purple (a very popular and desirable color at one time by the TPGS's that mimics the same color that can occur in contact with cotton or velvet) with an acetone cleaning. Therefore, Artificial color. Remove it and straight grade. So, is it old, natural blue or newer, chemically induced blue. Bottom line: that Lincoln is a very attractive coin and both opinions - artificial or natural color - are correct.

 

Would you consider putting my 1804 half cent in oil, or leave it as is?