1798 Large Cent You Vs PCGS

I know I bought and sold quite a few in that price area, I did not check them for Sheldon #'s I didn't know better, I shudder to think what I may have sold for nothing. It's like turning down the chance to but a Chain Cent in EF and a slightly impaired Gobrecht dollar each of those were well under $5K on offer to me, I passed on both. I could have bought them at the time, I had the cash in hand.

Live & learn, but back then I knew they would increase in value just not how much they would increase. Just wish I had put away a few more early copper pieces, as now I really like them and even the super cheap ones aren't all that cheap in grades easy enough to learn attribution with any longer.

The saying of stay collecting coins long enough and eventually you will come around to early american coppers is true. My library began to really grow after my interest was piqued with an 1804 spiked chin Half Cent. The books began to really fly onto my library shelves. I always loved books and already had a lot of specialized books on coins, but nothing prepared me for what the EAC did to my book shelving. Completely filled it and moved onto a seperate storage unit I rotate items in and out of. Never thought I'd need nor want so many old auction catalogues. LOL, it's not at all bad, I do enjoy my books, sometimes the expense makes me wonder if I really do need that next reference piece, but in the end I've decided I enjoy collecting the books as much as the coins, maybe even more sometimes. Breen's Large cent and Half Cent books are on my shelf, along with John Wright's book and all of the Noyes volumes, they are in permanent placement and never rotate out. Along with a few catalogues like Dan Holmes, Robinson, Husak, Adams, Boka. I would say the same 3-4 linear feet of space is always the same, while the rest circulates fairly regularly. I wish I had the space I used to have, (2500 sq. foot basement) for keeping all my books close at home and on shelves not in boxes a half mile away in storage.

At least I get to spend much of this current quarantine time to catch up on reading some of the books I have yet to get to. Half way through 1792: Birth of a Nation's Coinage, and Bill Eckert's new Half Cent book. If it lasts long enough I'll get through Moulton's book - Henry Voigt and Others Involved With America's Early Coinage. Focusing more on the history in general this month than the coins themselves.

Yes and after studying coins for 30 years it's one area I still find new and interesting things to read about besides it's the most researched area of all numismatics I'd venture to guess followed by ancients, then US gold coinage.

Joecoin,

Which Breen book? The Half Cent Encyclopedia, the Large Cent Encyclopedia or the Complete US & Colonial Encyclopedia? I've got all three plus a few more of his books, they are all very well done, yet most are in need of corrections too.