1798 Large Cent 1-St Or 2nd Hairstyle?

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Author	Replies: 8 / Views: 3,271
johnny676767 Pillar of the Community United States 521 Posts	Posted 10/21/2016 12:24 am Is there a way to identify this as first or second hairstyle? I only know to look for the curls and they are apparently not there. There was a note with the coin that says, "S-161". Other than the pics, that's all I have. I know it's quite worn so any tips would be appreciated. Thanks, Report this Post to the Staff

paralyse Bedrock of the Community United States 12057 Posts	Posted 10/21/2016 01:28 am Sheldon 161 (S-161) is a 1798 with the so-called "1st" hair style. 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 Report this Post to the Staff
TypeCoin971793 Pillar of the Community United States 6370 Posts	Posted 10/21/2016 08:57 am I personally prefer the first hairstyle as it looks crisper than the second. However, they are more expensive... Edited by TypeCoin971793 10/21/2016 08:58 am Report this Post to the Staff
johnny676767 Pillar of the Community United States 521 Posts	Posted 10/21/2016 09:46 am Yes, I saw on NGC's Variety Plus webpage that the S-161 corresponds to the first hairstyle. This was just a handwritten note on the holder, though, and I wanted to verify it. NGC has some diagnostic pics but I really couldn't determine anything. I was trying to match up the style of the date to those varieties designated 1st or 2nd. I am not sure if that is the right approach. Report this Post to the Staff
coop Bedrock of the Community United States 62064 Posts	Posted 10/21/2016 1:47 pm I spent a couple of hours trying to figure anything out and it was all in vain. Each die is different from the example I compared with. The devices were not in the same places, LIBERTY turned at different angles. Location of the face was different also. So I just gave up. Report this Post to the Staff
GR58 Bedrock of the Community United States 11951 Posts	Posted 10/21/2016 10:37 pm I have no way to tell which hair style... But I do like the coin .... strong date ..compared to the amount of wear on Liberty Report this Post to the Staff
johnny676767 Pillar of the Community United States 521 Posts	Posted 10/22/2016 12:03 am Coop- I hear you. The thing I saw on the Sheldon 161 (via the NGC pics) is the "9". I don't know what to call it but the tail of the "9" has a hook or point to it. I saw that on the 161 and not the others. Date doesn't seem to exactly align with Liberty, though. I put the pics up in the grading forum as well and someone said 161, so I'll go with that. Report this Post to the Staff
Conder101 Bedrock of the Community United States 17884 Posts	Posted 10/22/2016 09:14 am It is an S-161. Report this Post to the Staff
TypeCoin971793 Pillar of the Community United States 6370 Posts	Posted 10/22/2016 10:22 am The way to attribute 1798 large cents: 1. Determine 1st/2nd hairstyle with the diagnostic I gave above. 2. Determine Large or Small 8 3. Determine if it is an 8/7 overdate (would have style 1 hair) 4. Determine style 1 or 2 lettering based on the vertical serif of the base of the E (big for style 2, small for style 1) 5. Determine reverse of 1795 or 1797 (one leaf at top right vs two leaves at top right) 6. Narrow down variety based on position of Liberty (position of letters relative to the top hair curls), position of date (numerals relative to denticles and the bust), die cracks and fatigue, and various diagnostics on the reverse. Attributing any large cent has the same systematic approach. It saves a lot of headache. If you want to have an easier time attributing pre-1816 large cents and all Half Cents, I recommend the Red Book on early coppers. It takes you through this systematic approach for every date. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 8 / Views: 3,271

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