My 1st Large Cent - 1817 with Altered ONE C*NT Font

[wayfas4u]

Well I found my first Large Cent at My Grandfathers yard in South Georgia. Rang up really nice, 4” in the ground. I was very excited, then I noticed the text has been altered with ONE ****. Apparently dirty minds have been around for a long time! Has anybody else ever dug one of these? Please tell me the history on these alterations.

 

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[Shakakka]

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[vpone]

View attachment 1885726 View attachment 1885727 Well I found my first Large Cent at My Grandfathers yard in South Georgia. Rang up really nice, 4” in the ground. I was very excited, then I noticed the text has been altered with ONE ****. Apparently dirty minds have been around for a long time! Has anybody else ever dug one of these? Please tell me the history on these alterations.

I've heard about these altered coins - pretty cool find!

vp

 

[jewelerguy]

that's an awesome first large cent

 

[wayfas4u]

David680, You made a very valid point!

 

[Bubba65]

Congrats on your first Large Cent. It looks in great shape!!! I too found one altered and my daughter was with me. Thankfully she was 17 at the time and we both had a good laugh[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Tedyoh]

If "it" only cost that much now......really a cool find.

 

[GaRebel1861]

Can I have it? Lol.

(Long running joke between me and the OP)

 

[wayfas4u]

Of course GaRebel1861 Lol

 

[GaRebel1861]

If anybody in our group of hunters here in SW Georgia was going to find that type coin, it would be you! Great find my friend.

 

[tnt-hunter]

I found one on an old farm several years ago. When I saw the back I thought it was some foreign coin at first. This is the info I found when I searched the web.

“ This is a well known alteration done outside the Mint as a scatological joke. The technique involves the use of a tool called a “graver”, that is used to “chase” the metal in the lettering into the desired shape. The metal is moved around by the tool to alter the “E” into a “U”. The word “One” is usually not altered”

So I’m not sure if it was a joke or a brothel token, but either way it is an unusual find. Congratulations, stay safe and keep swingin.

 

[Erik in NJ]

I found one on an old farm several years ago. When I saw the back I thought it was some foreign coin at first. This is the info I found when I searched the web.

“ This is a well known alteration done outside the Mint as a scatological joke. The technique involves the use of a tool called a “graver”, that is used to “chase” the metal in the lettering into the desired shape. The metal is moved around by the tool to alter the “E” into a “U”. The word “One” is usually not altered”

So I’m not sure if it was a joke or a brothel token, but either way it is an unusual find. Congratulations, stay safe and keep swingin.

I've seen a few of these posted over the years. I'd always thought they were cut with a die that way as a "hard times token" (no pun intended on the "hard" part ). If there is indeed a tool to do this my inclination is to believe it may have been done by teenage boys for fun and maybe for profit to sell them to their friends or even more likely there was a cottage industry that did this for profit selling them as a novelty (turn one cent into 25 cents or more, not a bad ROI) I've only seen the "alteration" to LCs and never to IHCs though and it always looks very professionally done. I'd imagine a teenager trying out a graver tool would screw up quite a few LCs before getting it right and we don't really see *any* screwed up alterations of this type. I'm with David680--despite it being on that site I don't buy the brothel story either, just a novelty.

So IDK, does anyone here have a graver tool and can actually do this?

 

[ToddsPoint]

I've done a lot of metal engraving but have never tried that. Got a LC I can practice on? Here's a couple of my tools. Hand gravers and a chisel and hammer. Also a Browning .22 I engraved. Gary

 

[thrifty76now]

A very nice old large cent.

 

[Erik in NJ]

I've done a lot of metal engraving but have never tried that. Got a LC I can practice on? Here's a couple of my tools. Hand gravers and a chisel and hammer. Also a Browning .22 I engraved. Gary

You are quite a talented artisan Gary! Very, very fine work there! Impressive.

 

[Megalodon]

Thanks Mildetector, I compared it to another Large Cent I bought, same size, same weight even rings up the same!

Yes, because it is a genuine large cent. The E has been removed and the metal "chased" to form a new letter. I have found several at CW sites - but not as old as this one and with the modification not as skillfully done as your's.

When large cents were replaced by the flying eagle cent in 1857, the obverse of those coins was also modified by folks with too much time on their hands from a flying eagle to a *****. I've found those too. "Find anything?" "Yeah, I got a flying ***** over there".

 

[Megalodon]

First time I've been censored on tnet for using the correct anatomical term. Let's try "male organ" for that p word.

 

[GaRebel1861]

Yes, because it is a genuine large cent. The E has been removed and the metal "chased" to form a new letter. I have found several at CW sites - but not as old as this one and with the modification not as skillfully done as your's.

When large cents were replaced by the flying eagle cent in 1857, the obverse of those coins was also modified by folks with too much time on their hands from a flying eagle to a *****. I've found those too. "Find anything?" "Yeah, I got a flying ***** over there".

Post a picture of that coin?

 

[Megalodon]

Post a picture of that coin?

First, I'd have to find it and second, I'd probably get banned for posting an obscene image...

 

[david680]

First, I'd have to find it and second, I'd probably get banned for posting an obscene image...

Maybe not. A dug dildo got a pass because it was actually a find.

 

[wayfas4u]

Megalodon, That is really interesting! If you come across that coin I would love to see it feel free to private message me!