Good luck with this one...

[Birky]

So I told myself all last week I was going to find my first Large Cent this weekend. After a long day of hunting yesterday and with daylight getting dim I see an unusually large copper coin flop out of the hole..I already knew what it had to be and was ecstatic..until I got home and examined it..that is...

The only bit of detail I can find on the entire coin are the letters "CE" and part of the ribbon/bow and wreath. Having said that my eye is everything but trained and until now I've never even held a large cent in my hands..sad I know

I don't expect theres much to be told about this ole slug..but I'll take what I can get.

Maybe there's a way to bring out more detail that isn't currently visible? I'm open to suggestions. I suppose the dremel couldn't even hurt it at this point..

Thanks for looking folks





HH,
Chris

 

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[HutSiteDigger]

You can try that "boil peroxide method" there is a thread on here that talks about that http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/cleaning-preservation/22115-cleaning-large-cents.html .. I have dug quite a few LC's in your condition. Basically- this kind of damage your coin has might be due to it sitting in fertilizer @ some point in it's life or just bad soil in general... Hope your next one is better..

 

[DCMatt]

Wow... Toasty. Looks like most of the top layer of metal is gone. If you really want to spend the time trying to ID it, don't get too carried away with cleaning or you will remove any remaining detail. Rub it with some light oil or vaseoline and take the clearest, highest res pics you can get in natural light. Then photo shop the pics to see any detail. I like to use a negative image then adjust brightness & contrast. After that all you can do is compare to pics of good coins. It's a lot of tedious work.

DCMatt

 

[cti4sw]

I just did some detail research on my found LC, and based on what I can see from your reverse detail I'd say you have either a Flowing Hair or Draped Bust large cent. On the later Classic, Matron, Coronet, and Braided Hair series the wreath ribbon was thicker and shorter than their previous counterparts. Here's some examples:

Flowing Hair (1793-1796)


Draped Bust (1797-1807)


Classic Head (1808-1814)


Coronet Head (1816-1857)


EDIT: Actually, based on the pics I just uploaded, I'm calling it: Draped Bust LC, 1797-1807. The DB LC bow has a large double loop, the FH LC has a small single loop.

 

[Birky]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I figured it was too far gone to ever really know but being as it's the first I've dug, I had to inquire at least.

There's always next time!

HH,
Chris

 

[Birky]

I just did some detail research on my found LC, and based on what I can see from your reverse detail I'd say you have either a Flowing Hair or Draped Bust large cent. On the later Classic, Matron, Coronet, and Braided Hair series the wreath ribbon was thicker and shorter than their previous counterparts. Here's some examples:

Flowing Hair (1793-1796)
View attachment 869666

Draped Bust (1797-1807)
View attachment 869667

Classic Head (1808-1814)
View attachment 869664

Coronet Head (1816-1857)
View attachment 869668

EDIT: Actually, based on the pics I just uploaded, I'm calling it: Draped Bust LC, 1797-1807. The DB LC bow has a large double loop, the FH LC has a small single loop.

Thanks Cti4sw

I agree it was probably a draped bust judging by the thickness of the bow and proximity to the "E" in Cent.

Ah what a shame!

HH,
Chris

 

[cti4sw]

Hey, a draped bust is no "better luck next time" sort of find. A DB anything IS that better luck of "next time."

You have nothing to lose by letting it sit in some peroxide for a while to clean off the dirt. I'd start with that.

 

[Birky]

That's exactly how I saw it. It's soaking now

HH,
Chris