From a distance, it looks a bit like a small black disk, with all detail very difficult to see.
They must have looked fabulous, with a lighter bronze, slightly silvery color, when freshly minted.
Because they were smaller than the previous traditional bronze large Cent type that preceded it, I guess that at the time,
the admixture of 12% nickel in the alloy helped to give an impression of extra value to compensate for it's smaller size.
That is why I prefer lighter colored examples of this type.
Even so, the heavier weight over the standard bronze
Indian Head cent which followed it, and the flying eagle Gobrecht inspired reverse helps to make this type forever popular among collectors.
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Switzerland was the first country to alloy nickel in their billon coinage in 18
50: 15%Ag 50%Cu 25%Zn
10%Ni.
British used 50%Ag 40%Cu 5%Zn 5% Ni 1927-1946. (quaternary metals)
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Posted 09/19/2020 12:35 pm
