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 Replies: 12 / Views: 1,799 |
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Valued Member
United States
486 Posts |
recently, I've taken a liking to large cents, although I'm very confused about al the numbers and varieties associated with them... I would guess its similar to a VAM number for morgans and Peace dollars? is there any info you can tell me as a classic coin newbie or a website you can point me to? thank you! |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12057 Posts |
Visit the EACS - google EACS coins. They have a very good section on books about Large Cents, and also Half Cents. In the older days for large cents you used Sheldon (/Breen) & Newcomb... nowadays probably Noyes & Grellman for early and later dates respectively. EACS sells an awesome grading guide that will teach you how to properly grade Large Cents and Half Cents; once you master that, move on to Copper Quotes by Robinson (CQR) to get a rough idea of pricing. Quick rundown what you might see on auction listings: These refer to particular die varieties. S - Sheldon variety. Early date large cents. "1803 Draped Bust large cent, S-263" N - Newcomb variety. Middle and late date large cents. "1849 Braided Hair large cent, N-5" B, Br. or Breen - Breen number. All large cents. Mostly obsolete except for die stages. Often listed with the Sheldon number: "1803 Draped Bust large cent, S-264, B-24" C - Cohen variety. Half Cents. "1809 Classic Head Half Cent, C-4" You might also see an R: This is for "rarity", a very rough approximation of how likely you are to see an example of that variety, ranging from R-1 or R1 (most common) to R-7 or R7 (good luck finding one for sale pretty much anywhere) and I think even an R8+ (a "1 of 1" coin or nearly so.) Member ANA - EAC - TNA - SSDC - CCT #890 "Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." -- Louis D. Brandeis |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1839 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7375 Posts |
What I did at the beginning was buy a few inexpensive low grade Large Cents, and try and attribute them. It was a fun and inexpensive way to get involved. NGC's VarietyPlus, and Heritage Archives are a great source for all the varieties. Also the Newcomb book online is an excellent source of information. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?...ew=1up;seq=5 |
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Pillar of the Community
Germany
1849 Posts |
Very good suggestions, guys. I can only add that the new Deluxe Edition of the Red Book (1500 Pages!) has really surprised by at the wealth of information on half and large cents, not too mention the excellent pictures. It provides a concise description of each major type, including grading, and describes major varieties by year, again with excellent pictures. I was a bit hesitant at first to spend $ 54 in a copy ( I bought mine at Barnes & Noble during my recent holiday trip in the US), but it is worth every cent and more. Edited by GERMANICVS
09/01/2015 07:41 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
513 Posts |
Quote:
Visit the EACS - google EACS coins  This is the Early American Coppers Society at http://www.eacs.org/ All early American coppers, all the time. Lotsa great resources there. Check the left side of *this* CCF site for info about large cents (in the US coins & Currency links). Study ebay large cent listings, especially those with good pictures. Try to attribute those coins or see if you agree with the attribution listed (if any). I, too, like the new Deluxe Edition of the Red Book with all of the large cent info and pics. EAC folks are a helpful bunch--ask away! Edited by Garoyn
09/01/2015 08:34 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1304 Posts |
Q. David Bowers recently release a Large/Half Cent book that is similar to the Deluxe Red Book. It is a great buy for beginning copper enthusiasts though it has its quirks (namely Bowers own numbering system). This book does not go into detail on varieties past 1814 however, so one would need to pick up The Cent Book by John Wright (covers 1816-1839) and US Cents 1840-1857 by Bob Grellman to have a complete guide to all the varieties. I would avoid even looking at how much the Noyes books cost, less you be turned off by collecting copper. They are not necessary and are very cost prohibitive compared to the other references available for variety study for a new collector, though if you were to purchase them try to buy just the volume that covers 1816-1839 as The Cent Book can be tough to find. Heritage Auction archives are another must use reference for variety study and pricing. It's free to register! For Half Cents you can pick up a copy of Breen's Half Cent book, which will work for attribution, but a lot of the die state and other information is out of date or disproved. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
John Wright's The Cent Book is not hard to find unless you are looking for a used copy. New copies are still available from the author. (You can't find used copies because as a general rule people who buy a copy don't let it go.)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1304 Posts |
Thanks Conder, I forgot you could still buy them from the author. You are right about used copies, impossible to find, though I found one at a numismatic bookseller.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7375 Posts |
I think you can still buy Bob Grellman's book from him too.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
531 Posts |
Great advice here. Don't forget that joining EAC will bring you the outstanding Club publications as well as discounts on books.
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Moderator
 United States
16677 Posts |
Penny Whimsey is a good reference also.
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
If you want to do it the easy way, look for a Whitman year only Album for Large Cents. Then you don't have to get involved with the zillions of different types.
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Replies: 12 / Views: 1,799 |
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Posted 09/01/2015 12:47 am
