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 Replies: 19 / Views: 3,429 |
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Valued Member
United States
324 Posts |
I have a large cent question that I hope the great knowledge base can help with. Were large cents always broad struck or were collars used after the mint purchased steam presses?
Thanks
Joe P
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1566 Posts |
Large cents were struck without collars until 1836 just like the rest of U.S. coinage. After 1836 closed collars were used and the diameter of the coins became uniform.
A lot of Dansco 7099 collectors are frustrated by the fact that pre 1836 large cents have diameters that are all over the place and they don't fit so well into their albums. This of course is due to the broad struck planchets. The edges of pre 1836 large cents are rounded and after 1836 they are much more square.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
898 Posts |
Yes matthew I do mean that show. Can't wait. Also, I have the Red Book & ANA grading guide. I'll study up and go through the grading section to practice. I was thinking braided hair as well Celtic. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2362 Posts |
I agree with what's been said - you can buy the later dates 1839 and on in VF-EF grades very inexpensively. Take your time searching for the right ones because much of the joy in collecting is in the search. Quote:
Lastly I will warn you that copper gets in your blood stream. Celticsoul is correct and I got hooked on the early years mostly because the dies were made by hand and there was so much variation in each year. Sometimes ugly is beautiful and that's my attraction to old copper. Poor quality copper, corrosion, and heavy usage. I have stretched my budget many times to buy less than perfect 179x cents  Member ANA and EAC "You got to lose to know how to win". Dream On by Aerosmith |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3229 Posts |
Also, check out the PCGS Photograde: http://www.pcgs.com/photograde/You can get the app for your phone and or computer:) Good luck with hunt for early coppers! |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
You won't go wrong talking to copper-specific dealers with EAC affiliation. There's always bad apples but I've found EAC guys to be such straight dealers across the board that I'm willing to generalize a favorable opinion of them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5854 Posts |
I think a good start would be to get the recent published grading guide put out by EAC. Even if you eventually prefer to grade coppers by commercial standards instead of EAC standards, there are many bits of information that can help you improve you your own grading of coppers.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1566 Posts |
As an EAC member myself I find it best to buy copper from EAC affiliated dealers rather than regular coin dealers in general. When you're at the show and looking for large cent dealers be honest with them and tell them you're looking for a type piece and they'll help you out.
Edited by Celticsoul
03/16/2015 11:20 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3160 Posts |
they are fun coins to collect IMHO
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Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
Tom Reynolds (highly recommended) more than likely will not be at this show. He has a website also.
He has some of the finest raw Large Cents (all grade ranges) I have ever seen. Extremely ethical and fair as well.
But yeah, stick with early copper dealers and you'll be fine. As mentioned, most are willing to work with your budget and wants.
Have fun!
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4416 Posts |
IMHO, being a newbie and looking for type coins, I'd expect that you'd get more of a bargain from a non-EAC dealer. The EAC dealer will be looking harder at the variety and other, more subtle condition issues; then, pricing it accordingly. I'd vote to keep it simple, but do comparison shop. Also, being a newbie, I'd humbly suggest that you not get into any grading controversy with dealers and simply buy the best looking coin for the money. Grading coins is more of an art than a science. Happy hunting!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
898 Posts |
exo, thanks. Right now in my collecting process I care less about variety's etc. Maybe some day. I have no limit on time at the show so I can feel out many dealers and see.
A question to all the EAC suggestions, how do I find if a dealer is EAC affiliated or not?
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
That's the thing of it, ExoGuy. Your words are wise, and it's perhaps only my own experience that EAC pricing is as conservative as its' grading. Made a fair piece of money flipping things bought from serious EAC guys.  No recommendation is as important as "shop around," though. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3330 Posts |
Absolutely the best book for grading early copper, including large cents: http://www.eacs.org/GradingGuide/GradingGuide.htmlMy apologies if someone already mentioned this - I have not read through the entire thread. You will quickly see that the grading of early copper is more stringent. This book is worth the $. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
898 Posts |
No worries Pete, thanks for the suggestion. Tight budget and will definitely think to buy the book in the future.
Dave, what's the best way to shop around, I'm sort of new to big shows too. I went to a smaller one and ended up sitting with a guy and just chatting about coins/life for almost an hour without buying anything. There weren't many buyers though, however at a bigger show I may feel like shooting the breeze/browsing and not buying comes off as disrespectful or a waste of their time. Any insight there?
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Replies: 19 / Views: 3,429 |
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Posted 03/15/2015 10:03 am
