I spent about 15 mins trying to attribute this via Noyes and came up empty. The first thing that I noticed about the coin is the right lower serifs on TY in LIBERTY are missing. The second thing I noticed about the coin is that the fraction seems of the "large" type with the 1 and fraction bar mangled/tooled off. I could not find a match and gave up after looking through them twice....Mike
That fraction is crazy. Cant find that on any other examples. S-260? I was thinking this was a Small Date, Large Fraction. 260 is a Sm-Sm. Here is a link to a full sized version of my cent http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/3573615003_a6214c86f9_o.jpg Check out the E in States. The Lower part of the E is odd also.
Here is another Tom Deck - from one of my favorite sellers. Now I am not perfect and I do make mistakes, but my sheldon book mentions "PLO between O and F" as diagnostic. PLO - point of out lead in cluster under OF. This matches. Also 260 is small date large fraction - small dates have blunt ones and large dates have pointed ones.
PS - Other diagnostics include leaf below T in cent covers at least half of base of that letter - encroaching more that on any other 1803 reverse. I think this matches. On the obverse 18 a little more distant and the 1 much nears to curl than to 8. Looks like it matches. Top of 3 distant from drapery and bottom of 3 weak - on 260 the 3 is stronger at bottom than 259. Matches in my opinion. That was how I came to conclusion of 260.
S-260 no doubt. It is a large fraction that makes it 257 thru 261 or 265 It's a small date so 265 is out The gap between the ends of the wreath is not centered below the edge of the serif of the E so 257 is out There is no point of leaf below the left foot of E in UNITED so 258 and 259 are out. There is a point of leaf below the right foot of T in UNITED. That fits 260 and 261. The highest wave of the hair is below the left edge of the upright of the R in LIBERTY. That's 260 (On 261 the highest wave is below the center of the R) (I have my own outline format attribution guide that makes it fairly easy. The forum doesn't allow excess spaces so I used periods.) Large Fraction 1. Large date........................................................S-265 2. Gap below edge of serif of E.................................S-257 3. POL below left foot E1 ......1. HWH below center of R..................................S-258 ......2. HWH below left edge of upright of R.................S-259 4. POL below right foot T1 ......1. HWH below left edge of upright of R.................S-260 ......2. HWH below center of R..................................S-261 POL - Point Of Leaf HWH = Highest Wave of Hair Gap = gap between wreath ends I have similar guides for most of the early dates. They don't all use those same diagnostic features though.
Agreed. The "point of leaf / right foot of T" + "triple leaf centered between O and F" nailed it as reverse P. That means it's either 260, 261, or unlisted. Since 261 has "3" imbedded in drapery, and this one doesn't, it's 260 (obverse 11 with the reworked "3"). The plate coin in Breen also shows "E" in STATES with a weak foot. R.1 Interesting coin.
Ok, thanks to all of you for helping me. Whats up with the fraction though? Shouldnt that have warranted its own S #?
Nope. Fraction is the same as the other example I linked to. The difference is that I can not tell from your pictures if it is strike thru(or what) or maybe post mint damage. I just can not see enough of it.
Yes, those are obviously tool marks. But why ? Why would someone do such a thing ? If they were trying to defraud someone into thinking it's some exotic NC unlisted die variety, they wouldn't be so clumsy and ham-handed.
Well due to the tooling this coin is going to be returned. I had never really seen anything quite like this before. I would imagine that it was done long ago. Because the metal all around it is the same color as the rest of the coin. Dissapointing coin. Bobby
Because I've seen thousands of them in my numismatic career. The dead giveaway is the darkly toned hidden areas of the coin and the rest of the coin being an even color. Deller's Darkener, I'd wager, but there are many ways to give a coin this appearance....Mike
