The 1800 large cent is not a rarity, but it is seen far less often than the later dates, especially the 1802 and 1803. It is also hard to find in the higher states of preservation. The explanations for this include the contention that fair number of the planchets were damaged by seawater, as in the 1799 cents, and softer copper. The claim is that the copper planchets, supplied by Boulton, perhaps had more impurities that in later years. It is also one of the more difficult dates to attribute by Sheldon number. The differences between the varieties is slight. That combined with the often low states of preservations for many of the survivors, make attributions challenging. This 1800 large cent is an example of the idea grade for a collector with adequate, but not huge resources. There is quite a bit of wear, but the surfaces, color and surviving design details are nice enough to result in an attractive old cent. The piece has no corrosion, which is a huge and unusual plus for a cent from this era. PCGS has graded this Fine-15. The variety is Sheldon # 209. It is an R-3 rated variety which make it a wee bit challenging, but certainly obtainable.
