A friend of mine is considering bidding on this cent: http://cgi.ebay.com/US-COINS-1812-CLASSIC-LARGE-CENT-NICE_W0QQitemZ8405804766QQcategoryZ11948QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem It looks corroded to me. The seller claims it is "XF-ish." Your thoughts?
You are right, the coin (an 1812 large date) is severly corroded. I grade the coin VF details, corroded, net G. I value it about $35, and I wouldn't even want it at that price, honestly. Corrosion such as is seen on this coin is extremely common for large cents of this period, as the planchet quality at that time was extremely poor. The US was forced to import our large cent planchets from England, and the quality was quite poor, not to mention they had to be shipped across the Atlantic, and as we all konw copper and salt water do not mix. As a result, the vast majority of the coins from this period have corroded due to the poor quality control procedures of the supplier and damage during planchet shipment. Take care...Mike
