Large Copper But Theres A Twist :-)

[Ohio Jerry]

Large Copper But There's A Twist :-)

It rang up like a largie, it looked like a large cent in the dirt and after lots of spit and "gentle" rubbing I could even make out a few letters in the field, but the letters "ONE CENT" were backwards!! I put it in my pocket thinking "mint error" oh man this could be rare Well, it turns out someone with a hammer and an anvil decided to make a necklace. I assume he used a blank or worn smooth copper, a regular detailed large cent and a hammer to make the backwards impression and then punched a little hole in it so it could be worn as a necklace? I couldn't help be a little disappointed at first that it wasn't a real large cent and I didn't add a picture of the obverse because it has no detail but it's still an interesting find with a little character, and I'd love to hear about any others y'all might have found like this. HH,Jerry

 

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[mikefromIllinois]

Nice to see you posting again Jerry. Have not seen you on here for a long while. Mike

 

[Off n On]

Cool! Since backwards - idk, maybe a pressing stamp?

 

[docbars]

That is a sweet one,it tells a story.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I think it's a cool find. The use of a real LC to make the design dates the piece to the early to mid 1800s, so it's really neat. My first LC was worn absolutely smooth and holed. I've never seen a copper worn so smooth that the design is gone. Makes me think it's a state copper or something not struck with as high relief as a portrait, liberty head, monarch's bust, etc. At any rate, the finds we dig are what they are. I like your April Fools Day Copper there. Neat find, my friend. At least you're finding the goods. I've been so busy I have't had time to dig--and when I've been free, it's poured down rain.

Cheers,

Buck

 

[Don in SJ]

Nice find Jerry, regardless if it is "vise job" or a real brockage (see below) A brockage will always have the same side twice on the coin, but one in reverse. If you cannot tell by looking, measure the coin and diameter and see how close to a legit Large Cent it is.

"brockage". There's a definition in the CCF glossary, but basically it's similar to a "vise job", except that it's a genuine mint error which did actually happen in the mint. A failure of the coin ejector mechanism meant that a finished coin was still sitting in the press when a new blank was inserted. When this new coin was struck, the previous coin acted as a die, creating a reverse-incuse pattern of the same design which would appear on the "normal" or unaffected side. This side would usually also be in very sharp detail, since it's been struck twice (just like a proof), the second time with twice the thickness of metal in it than usual.

"Vise jobs" can resemble brockages, but a typical vise job will leave telltale traces of the original design left behind; there should be no such "two sides of a coin on the same side" effect on a genuine brockage.

Quite a few years ago, TNet member Bill L found one , attaching a photo of his nice brockage large cent.

Don

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Thanks BB and Don for your replies. After comparing some large cents to this piece I'm convinced it's a "vice job". This 1797 Draped Bust is the largest in my collection at 29mm and it's considerably smaller. Thanks for lookin

 

[ModernMiner]

Great to see a post from you again Jerry. Those Ohio fields should be thawed out by now. Very interesting find. Never saw one like that before. If it would make you feel any better, just hold it up to a mirror and it will look normal.
Looking forward to you tearing up those fields again this year.
-Doug-