Cut Large Cent

[Vermonter]

I haven't been doing much detecting lately, but I got out the other night on a site I've hunted a couple times before. I decided to deal with the noise and go for some all-metal mode swinging. It paid off. I was able to sniff out a couple signals I missed. One of them was this cut Largie. Pretty cool. I've actually never dug a cut coin. The date is on the other half unfortunately. It's worn, but I'm pretty sure it's a Braided Hair, right? There's no line under the One Cent. How common are cut copper large cents, especially getting into Braided Hair years? I guess somebody really needed a half cent Anyway, good hunt. Happy to get out digging again.

 

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[Vermonter]

Thanks all. I'm pretty sure the thick Braided Hair cents were worth more than 1 cent of copper. That fact probably lent a half-cut Braided Hair Large Cent some value/support. The half cent denomination was still being produced at the time of course, and you could still buy something for a half cent. So all said, maybe cut Large cents are more common than I figured. They're just hard to find

In terms of actual cutting, I assumed folks just used a hammer and a chisel/knife?

 

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[against the wind]

That find would have me searching that spot for days.
Congrats

 

[A2coins]

Congrats . Treasurer is great!!!!

 

[Nitric]

Cool find!!

I vaguely remember something about this....maybe at end of their use? Something about some stores still accepted them? And they were being bought? After a certain point there was no "buy back" and stores accepted them maybe? They were even quartered. But I can not remember the theories or reason why.

Man, I wish I could remember what I was told about this by an old coin dealer ...... the end of their use and why some were chopped....I've had them with stamps(metal stamped) or Letters stamped in them too but I think that was a whole different thing. I don't think it was related too being chopped in half or quarters.

 

[Driftwoood]

Awesome find, Vermonter! My only good theory for the cut large cents is that coins at certain times and in certain areas were scarce... folks would likely use what they had and once small cents were made, having a large cent would be like having three or four small ones, I guess. Waste not, want not! Pretty unusual find in any case. I have only ever found one... it's a quarter cent: