I Sold The Best Large Cent I Ever Dug

[Clad2Silver]

I dug this 1808 Large Cent back in 2012 and after 10 years of holding onto it, I decided to try to sell it. I took it to the September meeting of our local coin club and put it in their auction. When the hammer came down, I got $175.00 for it, which is not too shabby for a dug coin. The money will be put toward other coins for my collection.

 

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[smokeythecat]

Not shabby at all. I have managed to part with 95% of my collection of everything over the last 10 years. Easier to clean house that way!

 

[Clad2Silver]

Not shabby at all. I have managed to part with 95% of my collection of everything over the last 10 years. Easier to clean house that way!

Thanks.....I've kept all my silver finds except one and this is the first old coin I've sold. Time to put the money into something else.

 

[PickTime]

A “biggy” bank is where you keep large cents, I believe. lol
Congratulations on your auction sale.

 

[Clad2Silver]

A “biggy” bank is where you keep large cents, I believe. lol
Congratulations on your auction sale.

Thanks......

 

[CoinShooter01]

Nice find!
Im courious....
How deep was a 1808 coin, 204 years latter?
Im guessing 6" or 8" , but just a wild guess.
Im sure it all depends on the area it was found, soil vs. sand vs. bed rock , etc...

 

[gunsil]

If a coin is in undisturbed soil it can be very shallow even with many years since it was lost. I have foud quite a few large cents and KGIIIs at colonial homes and churches that were only 4-5" deep. These were places that have been inhabited but not landscaped for 250 or more years. Coins don't really sink in most soil, the soil slowly builds up over them.

Clad, that is a beautiful coin, great find, not sure I could have let it go.

 

[Clad2Silver]

Nice find!
Im courious....
How deep was a 1808 coin, 204 years latter?
Im guessing 6" or 8" , but just a wild guess.
Im sure it all depends on the area it was found, soil vs. sand vs. bed rock , etc...

This particular coin was at a depth of 4 inches, which is typical for the large cents I've dug. I've dug Mercury dimes that were deeper. Back in 2018 my girlfriend dug an 1843 Seated Quarter that was 9 inches deep, so I guess there's no real way to determine a coin's depth no matter how old they are. Large cents were still circulating in the middle to late 1800's so it most likely wasn't in the ground since 1808.

 

[Clad2Silver]

If a coin is in undisturbed soil it can be very shallow even with many years since it was lost. I have foud quite a few large cents and KGIIIs at colonial homes and churches that were only 4-5" deep. These were places that have been inhabited but not landscaped for 250 or more years. Coins don't really sink in most soil, the soil slowly builds up over them.

Clad, that is a beautiful coin, great find, not sure I could have let it go.

Thanks gunsil.....It certainly is a nice looking coin and that's why it took me 10 years to let it go.

 

[pepperj]

Nice return on LC, well done.
Was it a counter stamp? Noticed the round divot between the 3rd-4th star.

 

[Clad2Silver]

Nice return on LC, well done.
Was it a counter stamp? Noticed the round divot between the 3rd-4th star.

Thanks pepperj.....The coin didn't have a counterstamp. What you see between the third and fourth star is some corrosion from being in the ground.

 

[Gare]

I dug this 1808 Large Cent back in 2012 and after 10 years of holding onto it, I decided to try to sell it. I took it to the September meeting of our local coin club and put it in their auction. When the hammer came down, I got $175.00 for it, which is not too shabby for a dug coin. The money will be put toward other coins for my

That sure is a NICE COIN !!!!

 

[Clad2Silver]

That sure is a NICE COIN !!!!

Thanks Gare.....definitely one that will be hard to beat.

 

[Old Dude]

Man, that one is in wonderful shape, but for $175, I ‘d have to say adios to it too.

 

[Clad2Silver]

Man, that one is in wonderful shape, but for $175, I ‘d have to say adios to it too.

Thanks Dude.....I kept it for ten years so it was time to kiss it good bye. The $175 will be spent on other coins for my collection.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Did you ever determine what variety this coin was? Back when these coins were being minted, many of the dies weren't precisely the same in all the dies created. Also, sometimes they would retool a die that was worn, to get some more life out of it. So, not only did you have varieties in a year, bur the varieties would have die states based on the wear.

I absolutely love Early American Coppers (1796-i857). I just wish I could afford them.

Out where I live, California high desert, these coins aren't normally found buried in the ground. Generally, they are found up north around Sacramento and San Francisco. You have to do research to find possible locations where old buildings, or stagecoach rest stops were located to have a good chance of beeping old coins.

Wish I'd known all this when I was stationed up in Sacramento. Same thing when it comes to gold prospecting. Just never thought about it.

Good luch in your searches. Hope you find some more valuable coins, and relics.

 

[Clad2Silver]

Did you ever determine what variety this coin was? Back when these coins were being minted, many of the dies weren't precisely the same in all the dies created. Also, sometimes they would retool a die that was worn, to get some more life out of it. So, not only did you have varieties in a year, bur the varieties would have die states based on the wear.

I absolutely love Early American Coppers (1796-i857). I just wish I could afford them.

Out where I live, California high desert, these coins aren't normally found buried in the ground. Generally, they are found up north around Sacramento and San Francisco. You have to do research to find possible locations where old buildings, or stagecoach rest stops were located to have a good chance of beeping old coins.

Wish I'd known all this when I was stationed up in Sacramento. Same thing when it comes to gold prospecting. Just never thought about it.

Good luch in your searches. Hope you find some more valuable coins, and relics.

As a coin collector since the 1950's I'm well aware of the fact that Large Cents and Half Cents have MANY die varieties as listed in Sheldon's book. That said I'm not a collector of minute sized die varieties. This particular Large Cent is actually the 12-star variety which at one time was listed in the "Redbook" as a major die variety but is no longer listed for reasons that I don't know.