1864 Large Motto Two Cent Piece - What Do You Think? (PCGS)

Theyre very inconsistent about whether or not they put the BN or not. Is the BN less obvious on the other one by any chance? Sometimes they put it if it looks like itd have a shot at RB

I can't play as I know this coin, (one of my absolute favorites)!

This coin is a solid brown IMO - I used to go after RB cents in my ultra high end 2¢ collection of MS66. I quit as the cost is so prohibitive and the TPGs were not really consistent.

The chance of a coin loosing the red and going full brown can really cost you big money at high grades, most of the coins I ended up with were all solid brown or BN coins that were in RB slabs. My low grade limit was MS66 except the 1867 DDO and Small Motto varieties in the business strikes, In Proof I dropped my standards to PR63. To get an RB grade the coin really needs to have great luster and at least 50% original red still present on both sides, I've found. Any less than that you are looking at either buying a coin that turned since the TPG slabbed it and it is worth less than the holder says (I see quite a few like this in old holders for sale on ebay), or will most likely change towards the full brown designation soon enough. Same goes for all copper coins. I've only ever owned 2 full red 2¢ coins, and both were proofs.

Interesting to see PCGS population in MS66BN is only 8 coins. I had a couple, most were NGC or ANACS (small holder) back when I was putting the set together in the mid 1990's through 2005 when I sold it off.

MS-64!

MS-62BN

I will post the result front of slab image later today, sorry for the delay.

Good news, bad news. The good news is that this is a rather rare variety. The bad news is that I cannot capture it with my limited imaging capabilities.




( Indian Head cent Bust outline)


(Image from Frank Leone auction)

Going through the old 2¢ Times newsletters and mail bid sale catalogs Frank Leone put out, I found quite a few of these in as low as F15 grades. I didn't think there were many of them out there, per my search for almost 10 years to find one. Now I have two, one MS63RB and an AU55 cleaned - both PCGS. I really like yours John and am glad you got it before I pulled the trigger, you got one heck of a deal from Frank on this beauty!