Even badly damaged, the 1793 chain is an amazing artifact of our history. As I write this the Heritage coin here is already bid up to $5k ($6k with Heritage's 20% buyer's premium). For the interested folks, there's a wonderful talk by Bill Eckberg on the ANA site (https://www.money.org/money-talks-video-archive/ ) entitled "The Men Who Made the First U.S. Coins." He has the dates that the chain cents were minted, names the people who made them, shares their salaries - even calls out the one guy who showed up drunk and subsequently got fired! Totally worth 36 minutes of my time to watch!
As usual, it comes down to what people consider important to them as far as their collecting preferences.
Finding problem-free Chain cents in any grade is extremely difficult. So when most coins you look at are going to have issues of some sort or another, it then becomes a matter of what you're willing to put up with.
Yes, this one's been tooled, and it's been cleaned, and it has a lot of other issues with porosity and pitting, but you can see the full bust, and the entire reverse design is clearly visible. To find a coin with the same level of detail but fewer problems, you're going to be adding multiples of dollars to the selling price.
If I had a ton of spare money to toss around on Chain cents, I'd buy this one, crack it out, re-darken it with Deller's, and let it sit out "au naturel" open to the air. You're not going to make it look any worse, and it's never going to be a problem-free example, so you might as well try to improve its appearance a bit.
And .. SOLD (not to me), for $9300. That's the problem w/ these chain cents, everybody wants one, nobody's got one.
I did get a consolation prize, a ragged old AG details Wreath cent seemed like nice original looking surfaces, detailed for 'damage' but doesn't bother me, I like the overall look. Strange looking die error type thing on the reverse (lower right), maybe I'll post a new thread on that and see what you guys think.
Seeing that result, I think I will stop feeling regrets about never upgrading my S-3.
I am curious, what made you choose an S-9?
The die error you describe on the lower right reverse is what Breen calls Die State VIII with die failure at the bow and RICA which becomes severe at Die State IX. This appears to be a (very) scarce die state - I searched a whole bunch of S-9's pictured in the HA archives and found quite a few with the beginning crack which Breen describes already in state II, but none with the die failure as advanced as yours.
Confession time, I don't know Sheldon varieties at all, this was just the best looking Wreath I've seen for $1K, so I grabbed it. All the better that it's got an oddball cracked die, I will go read up on "S-9"
Would like to see your S-3, this one here sure was interesting but just couldn't stomach the price. Kind of a holy grail...
Quote: And .. SOLD (not to me), for $9300. That's the problem w/ these chain cents, everybody wants one, nobody's got one.
Quote: I did get a consolation prize, a ragged old AG details Wreath cent seemed like nice original looking surfaces, detailed for 'damage' but doesn't bother me, I like the overall look.
Quote: Confession time, I don't know Sheldon varieties at all, this was just the best looking Wreath I've seen for $1K, so I grabbed it. All the better that it's got an oddball cracked die, I will go read up on "S-9"
Would like to see your S-3, this one here sure was interesting but just couldn't stomach the price. Kind of a holy grail...
You, my friend, you have some guts..... buying early Sheldon types with little (none?) knowledge of Sheldon varieties?
I like your example, and the very advanced die state makes it very intriguing as it appears to be a seldom seen state.
Per your request, this is my example of S-3. Problems and all, it is a nice piece.
I am also attaching pictures of the two examples of S-9 in my collection. S-9 is the most common 1793 wreath at R-2. My examples both have their shares of surface issues as well, but I like them both. I bought them both many years ago. You will note that neither of them have traces of die breaks - both struck from still perfect dies.
Quote: You, my friend, you have some guts..... buying early Sheldon types with little (none?) knowledge of Sheldon varieties?
Many thanks for the pics, I know the S-1, that's the AMERI. chain and I'd love to have one someday, but besides that I just collect the types.
I do enjoy oddities like that die crack, like the Fugio in my avatar I bought because I loved all the crazy clashes and planchet flaws .. that kind of thing.
A quick scan around and I can't find a site that lists out all the S- varieties. There are books of course but I can't find a website .. if you know of such a thing please do send along.
@TimNH, I am unaware of any on-line resources that describe all Sheldon varieties 1793-1814. I doubt one exists.
Barring that, and if you do not want to do a deep dive into the subject, I can recommend the first edition of the Mega Red Book which came out a few years ago (2017?).
This first edition does a pretty decent job of describing all Sheldon and Newcomb varieties, without getting too detailed with pictures and such. It provides a lot of information for a very reasonable cost.
Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955 Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves.
It's easier just to acquire a copy of Penny Whimsy - they're rather inexpensive. Also can agree with the Mega Red Book recommendation.
If you're looking for something a little more in-depth, I recommend Bill Noyes' "U.S. Large Cents 1793-1814" It's quite a more expensive, but it is an invaluable reference to have for early copper. It's also a larger hardbound volume and much easier to read and view the plate coins (if you're getting older, like me, anyway!)
Great stuff guys, thank you all. I will eventually need to decide whether to go down the rabbit hole of varieties.. originally (again, confession time) I was just one of those countless guys who dug out the old collection during Covid lockdown and started filling holes.. I'm way more into it now but haven't gotten to the level of digging into the quirks like this.
For now, w/ my wreath cent purchased, I have only 4 slots left to go to finish off my own personal idea of what a US type set is, and then reassess my place in life
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Posted 01/27/2024 4:46 pm
Uncirculated American Silver Eagles 
buying early Sheldon types with little (none?) knowledge of Sheldon varieties? 
