This Large Cent Is Sweet!

Ssuperddave:
It's not worn on one side because that side's details are concave, so it didn't wear so much (like the Indian half eagle in VF).
More explanation about brokages:
"A brockage is a Mint error, an early capped die impression where a sharp incused image has been left on the next coin fed into the coining chamber. Most brockages are partial; full brockages are rare and the most desirable form of the error."

It did wear on the high points on both sides, it's just that on one side the high points are the design while on the ohter the "high points" are the fields. So on the incuse side the design is still highly detailed even though the coin is worn. Then when our mind plays tricks on us and we "see" the coin as being in relief it looks like a high grade coin.

While full brockages are reare, for some reason 1817 seems to be the most common year for them. I've probably seen over 30 full brockage large cents and something like 10 to 12 of them were 1817's. It's like clipped planchet early date large cents, most of them are plain edge 1795's. (I think I know the reason for that one though.)

Neat coin....I will flip you for it, I call Heads!

Thanks Conder, looking at high points on the fields helped my brain re-adjust a little bit. I still want too see it the other way though, so who will purchase it so they can take additional pictures to help us out!

Yes, basically a coin is inadvertently left in the die and a planchet is placed on top of it. Instead of getting an impression from the reverse die, it gets a negative impression from the obverse of the previous coin. My guess is that they sort of stick together as an double thick coin and then split apart in circulation.

Good point. Maybe they hired a new apprentice that year.

Fantastic!