chark21798 said:
Don in SJ said:
chark21798 said:
Thanks Don and everyone else, I can clean dirt off of it with Q-tip but that's the way it came from ground. There is not 1 pit or any damage what so ever. Neil has seen the coin no wear what so ever on it picture doesn't do coin justice. Also hard to tell from picture but she has die cracks? under chin that looks like a beard. I have been studyin my coin and all different varieties and just cant match um up to any. S 127 leaves on back just look to big these are more narrow. I just cant tell, And i am not an expert . Thanks again Mark
Gads, I missed the die clashing,(normal on a S-125) when I saw
no swelling on the bust as stated that there should be for a S-125, I looked elsewhere, it is a S-125 and not a S-127, so it is a R-5 copper and worth some bucks. However, I still say it is not AU, but it is a very high CC coin (condition census for that variety) and it has some porous conditions, but not much, but again hard to tell with the dirt on photo. But I do have photos taken showing the porous conditions and one is of a 1796 I found and has very little porous problems, very smooth, for now here is a quick photo of yours, when you go negative on a shot it will show the pores. Recommend you take care of that coin. The coin might be worth more than Neil's Half Dime due to supply and demand. (More Large Cent collectors than Half Dime collectors)......But that all depends on environmental damage for overall grade.
Don
Thanks again for all your help. Now should I have this professionally cleaned graded and slabbed. And if so who and where. Well I am still taken in by this coin.
I usually don't say this but I think this one might do well to go to a grading service. Reason? With the details being so good, it might get designated as one of the top ones which would increase the value I think dramatically if you were to sell. But, you run the risk of the label "Improperly Cleaned" and or "Environmental Damage" if you do so. The only service that does clean and grading is NGC/NCS.(I think) I know one individual here had a horrible experience with them, but other than that I have not heard bad reports, but I sure have no experience in recommending them or anybody else.
Here is a S-125 that sold at auction, quite a bit of money,
http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=460&Lot_No=2128
Like I said, yours could be worth more than your buddies Half Dime, so be careful with whatever you do with the coin. Sometimes if a person wants to sell, it is best to go private, to do that, someone would have to spot your copper on-line and then they usually contact you. They would take care of cleaning, grading and slabbing, so you are in a win win situation. Perhaps joining and posting it on Collectors Universe site for opinions on condition would expose it to many of the top Large Cent collectors in the country! I will also contact one more individual who might offer some advice.
The former expert that was a big collector of Large Cents before he got into Colonials, really thought it was one of the tops for S-125, but like me, he saw evidence of some Environmental damage, but does appear to be minor from the photos your posted. The negative view, blown up is all telling on corrosion, I removed my earlier photo examples and sometime later will post some examples of rather good ground founds and ones that look rather good until you look closely and I think that is what the grading companies do, and no wonder so many of the detectorsits send in a great coin only to be hit with that dreaded Env damage remark... On the same auction site I found the big bucks figure were others that sold for a great amount less, and if that dreaded Env. tag goes on the slab, then the value drops dramatically..
Congratulations on making BANNER
It does belong there.
Don
It seems the key is to just run out there with a limited hunt time, dig up a stellar LC or half dime and split. 
WOW!! That is a beautiful coin. I'll bet the person who lost it knew the person that lost the 1/2 dime. I always think about crazy stuff like that, but it's cool to speculate about how and when things were lost. The how part, I don't know, but the when part was 1797. Amazing, truly amazing. 
