BEAUTIFUL 1796 DRAPED BUST LARGE CENT! AND THIS IS A GOOD ONE TOO.....

1LWiL15

Full Member
Nov 15, 2021
119
356
Upstate New York
Detector(s) used
Barska Winbest Elite Edition, Bounty Hunter TK-IV, Garrett Ace 400, Garrett AT Gold, Minelab Equinox 600, Garrett Ace Apex, XP ORX, XP DEUS
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
It started out like any other day metal detecting. I was out detecting a site that I have pounded many times in the past, a 1789 two-story colonial house. Every time I go back here, I always find something I missed. I normally dig all positive signals, but today it was just repeatable high tones. And there it was! My first high tone of the day. I dug it with great anticipation, hoping for a deep coin. Sure enough, the target was deep, a square nail at 10". I did this for hours, trying hard to cut through the half-frozen ground. But then, there it was; the tone I was looking for, a solid 35-36 on my Equinox. I knew this type of signal well, I have dug many coins that produce this type of signal at depth. Sure enough, a big fat large cent came up from its resting place 11" down! This in itself was very exciting, but after I rubbed it off I saw the date: 1798!! I had NEVER dug a 1700s U.S. coin before, so this coin was a major MAJOR bucket lister! After all of that work, for a beautiful coin, it couldn't get any better than that, right? WRONG!! After doing a little research on the variety, I found it to be the 1798 Reverse of 1796 variety, which is very rare and sought after by collectors! In the Red Book, this coin goes for about $250 in AG-3 and over $10,000 in EF-40, and this coin condition wise is DEFINETLY in almost mint state! (Other than the fact that it has been dug out of the ground, lol). Of course, I will never sell this find because of its value to me because I saved it, and it will always be one of my favorite treasures that i have found, a real diamond in the rough!

Link to the actual variety, notice the reverse strike on both coins.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/large-cent...die-state-v-this-variety-combin/a/390-19374.s
 

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Upvote 39

cannonball

Hero Member
Feb 20, 2010
725
3,461
East Coast NJ
Detector(s) used
DEUS 11 Fisher F75ltd,TDI Minelab Excailber
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Taking a closer look at your images, I would attribute your coin as Sheldon-145. A diagnostic feature of this variety is that the fraction bar in 1/100 is connected to the right ribbon of the wreath. Sheldon-145 rates R-3, or slightly scarce, and it falls into the Style 1 hair group, as I mentioned earlier. You may enjoy looking at some photos of 1798 cents on this guy's website for comparison.

https://largecents.net/collection/1798drbust.html
Nice ID!
 

Hunk-a-lead

Bronze Member
Dec 20, 2020
2,126
3,315
Kansas City
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend, Predator Phoenix Shovel
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
It started out like any other day metal detecting. I was out detecting a site that I have pounded many times in the past, a 1789 two-story colonial house. Every time I go back here, I always find something I missed. I normally dig all positive signals, but today it was just repeatable high tones. And there it was! My first high tone of the day. I dug it with great anticipation, hoping for a deep coin. Sure enough, the target was deep, a square nail at 10". I did this for hours, trying hard to cut through the half-frozen ground. But then, there it was; the tone I was looking for, a solid 35-36 on my Equinox. I knew this type of signal well, I have dug many coins that produce this type of signal at depth. Sure enough, a big fat large cent came up from its resting place 11" down! This in itself was very exciting, but after I rubbed it off I saw the date: 1798!! I had NEVER dug a 1700s U.S. coin before, so this coin was a major MAJOR bucket lister! After all of that work, for a beautiful coin, it couldn't get any better than that, right? WRONG!! After doing a little research on the variety, I found it to be the 1798 Reverse of 1796 variety, which is very rare and sought after by collectors! In the Red Book, this coin goes for about $250 in AG-3 and over $10,000 in EF-40, and this coin condition wise is DEFINETLY in almost mint state! (Other than the fact that it has been dug out of the ground, lol). Of course, I will never sell this find because of its value to me because I saved it, and it will always be one of my favorite treasures that i have found, a real diamond in the rough!

Link to the actual variety, notice the reverse strike on both coins.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/large-cent...die-state-v-this-variety-combin/a/390-19374.s
big time gratz on an epic find, and your first 1700s too. Still looking for my first. well done!
 

Cal_Cobra

Bronze Member
Oct 3, 2008
1,099
1,710
Northern California
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab EQ800 & Makro Multi Kruzer, the rest are collecting dust...
Beautiful piece of early U.S. history!! Something we'll never find on the left coast....we have to suffer with gold coins for our lack of early U.S. coinage :icon_thumright:
 

OP
OP
1LWiL15

1LWiL15

Full Member
Nov 15, 2021
119
356
Upstate New York
Detector(s) used
Barska Winbest Elite Edition, Bounty Hunter TK-IV, Garrett Ace 400, Garrett AT Gold, Minelab Equinox 600, Garrett Ace Apex, XP ORX, XP DEUS
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
big time gratz on an epic find, and your first 1700s too. Still looking for my first. well done!
Good luck to you. The 1700s draped busts don't come up often, you have a better chance (in my opinion) of finding a liberty cap. I haven't found a liberty cap personally, but I have seen my friends pull more of them than the 1700s DBs. How long have you been detecting?
 

OP
OP
1LWiL15

1LWiL15

Full Member
Nov 15, 2021
119
356
Upstate New York
Detector(s) used
Barska Winbest Elite Edition, Bounty Hunter TK-IV, Garrett Ace 400, Garrett AT Gold, Minelab Equinox 600, Garrett Ace Apex, XP ORX, XP DEUS
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Beautiful piece of early U.S. history!! Something we'll never find on the left coast....we have to suffer with gold coins for our lack of early U.S. coinage :icon_thumright:
Well, you will just have to come over sometime! If you ever do, the DB largies aren't too hard, but the earliest ones are hard.
 

Hunk-a-lead

Bronze Member
Dec 20, 2020
2,126
3,315
Kansas City
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend, Predator Phoenix Shovel
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Good luck to you. The 1700s draped busts don't come up often, you have a better chance (in my opinion) of finding a liberty cap. I haven't found a liberty cap personally, but I have seen my friends pull more of them than the 1700s DBs. How long have you been detecting?
3 years, looking forward to seeing what goodies pop up in 2022! HH
 

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