Classic Head Large Cent

Yes, planchets were supplied by a manufacturer in England so it is quite possible that they were in contact with sea water on the voyage over the pond. You also have to remember the time in history when these were minted- the War of 1812(and the lead up to it) created supply problems so that contributed to the decline in quality as well. There are a few EAC people here who could probably fill in the history a bit better than myself.

BTW, that is a ridiculously gorgeous 1811 That coin may have a few minor issues(if you are really picky) but it is much nicer than probably 95% of the coins available. Sure, you could hold out for a perfect chocolate brown example, but be prepared to wait a very long time and/or pay way over book value

Yeah it has some corrision, but that is an outstanding looking coin in my opinion. Very little wear. I'll trade you for my choclate smooth 1814 in VG-8.

The copper planchets for our cents and Half Cents were supplied by Matthew Boulton of Birmingham Warwickshire England from 1797 to the early 1830's. They were shipped over packed in kegs and stored in the bottom hold of the ship often down in the bilges where they would often be subjected to sea water. Also the ships would not sail until a full cargo was obtained. The kegs being very heavy were used as ballast and would be the first things loaded and the last unloaded and at times would sit down there in the bilges for extended periods.

Now that might explain the dark color and porosity that these coins suffered (Because the draped bust cents also tend to suffer from the same problems) but not the rapid wear the classic heads suffered from. That was probably one of two things or possibly a combination of the two. The classic heads were struck on unusually PURE copper as compared to the earlier coins. The earlier planchets often had trace contaminates that changed the wearing qualities of the coins. (In particular the earlier coins often had a trace of arsenic which gave the copper a hard glossy protective surface.) It is also possible that the mint was doing a much better job of annealing the planchets resulting in a softer finished coin.

For these reasons the classic heads tend to come pretty crummy. Dark, porous, and heavily worn. Truly problem free coins better than Fine are few and far between, and usually even those are dark. A light tan or chocolate high grade coin IS possible, but you are going to be looking at at least tree to four times sheet value as a starting point. For sheet price you will get a dark, light to moderately porous coin that may have the appropriate sharpness. (You also have the problem that you are looking for an 1811, all of the odd dated years are tougher pieces.)

I've looked out there at Classic Head Large Cents for my 7070 album and this is a nice looking coin. They are really tough to find in good condition and I would say this one is in VERY good condition (and I don't mean VG - I mean really nice).

If I end up with something this nice in my 7070 someday, I will be a happy guy.

Ken

I see I forgot to address the question about the Half Cents.

The qualit of the hal cents was better because there was a lower demand for them and the planchet shipments tended to last longer. The early classic head Half Cents (09, 10, and 11) were struck on planchets received earlier and not from the same shipments as the classic head cents.