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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,316 |
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Valued Member
United States
50 Posts |
I was watching Heritages online auction last night. While most coins realized at and below the Guided values, this 1817 cent brought nearly 4 times the guide value. Can anyone explain why that might be? It appears very nice and without marks, but something else must be going on that I missed when bidding. It is a 13 and not 15 stars so that is not it. A specific variety is not noted either. http://coins.ha.com/itm/large-cents...otice-outbid |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
They really needed this "mouse" variety to complete an 1817 Newman variety set? It is a beautiful example!
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Valued Member
 United States
50 Posts |
Hi amida, what is a mouse variety? Does it have a higher value to specialists? Was this an unattributed N variety? I wondered what the N meant on some other certified examples.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Which Mouse is it? N-3, 7, 8, or 9? (I've spent the past ten minutes trying to load the image and can't get it.) Can someone come up with an approximate EAC grade (Being Heritage they probably give it)
Well after about 20 minutes, it is a N-9 late die state, I'd say an EAC XF-40. It doesn't come close to even the bottom end of the Condition Census. But the Mouse varieties are popular. The last issue of Copper Quotes has it at around $625.
To answer the question about what a Mouse variety is, there are four different varieties in 1817 that develop a die chip on top of the head (In fact those varieties are much rarer without the mouse than with it. Especially N-7.) On at least one of them the chip actually does look something like a mouse on top of Liberty's head.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
Sorry for the late response, got distracted by the swimming pool.....yeah N9. I would also agree at EAC 40
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
Well struck, lustrous, problem free Large Cents command higher prices than CQR and Noyes Penny Prices suggest. And forget the Grey Sheet, Numismedia or the like price guides, they don't have a clue. Nice copper is bringing premium sales prices. I am not at all surprised at the winning bid.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Maybe you're right  but it still seems like an awful lot of money to me.  |
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Rest in Peace
United States
4078 Posts |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
The fact that known-capable EAC graders are within 5 points of PCGS' grade paints this as a premium coin in grade and probably worth on the high side of even variety value. And it's a real looker, no immediate distractions whatsoever.
Further, when you consider just how ancient and overworked this die pair is, your mind might want to wander towards wondering just how "good" a strike was still possible. By corollary, is all that we're seeing here actually "wear?" I dunno; to my mind this coin could well have only experienced an AU level of actual circulation wear.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1304 Posts |
This coin is super choice. No distracting marks to speak of and a sought after variety among specialists. Late die state explains the mushy details. PCGS under graded it in my opinion, easily an AU coin if die state is considered. EAC 40, concur with the others. Noyes has this at $400, two people must have really wanted it (and I can see why).
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Valued Member
United States
50 Posts |
Cool. Thank you everyone for the reasoning. I am an expert philatelist, but working on a genealogical birth year type set as coins have always interested me. I thought it was a great coin to fill my wife's great great great maternal grandfather's birth year. I don't need a variety, but evidently I do have a good eye for a quality coin for the grade!
Happy hunting.
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,316 |
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Posted 08/19/2015 11:32 am
