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1799 Sheldon-189. Rarity-2. AG Details – Damage – PCGS.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins - Large Cents Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:3,750.00 USD
1799 Sheldon-189. Rarity-2. AG Details – Damage – PCGS.
SOLD
2,600.00USD+ (455.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2017 Mar 10 @ 01:47UTC-5 : EST/CDT
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1799 Sheldon-189. Rarity-2. AG Details – Damage – PCGS.
Here for your bidding consideration is a modest but still highly collectable example of what may very well be the most famous of all large cent issues. The planchet is deep chocolate brown throughout both sides, evenly dispersed and pleasing to the eye. The obverse design details are finer overall than the reverse details, not an unusual circumstance for the date. Low magnification reveals all the marks one should associate with this well-worn grade, including numerous tiny scratches – all as ancient as the coin itself – and other tiny marks. The most noticeable area of distress is a patch of peripheral roughness that runs from TY along the rim to the 3 o’clock position where it terminates at a patch of vertical pin scratches in the field. Both LIBERTY and the date numerals are present and, as a whole, the obverse is pleasing for the grade, especially in-hand. The reverse tells the story that only a large copper coin could after having spent its entire useful lifetime in commerce. This piece is well-worn throughout the legend, with most letters weak but with TED and AMERICA bold in comparison. Portions of the wreath are weak and other areas are finer in detail, but ONE CENT has essentially all but disappeared – a ghost of the denomination shows at the proper angle to a light. Magnified examination of the reverse provides much the same terrain as seen on the obverse, with small, ancient marks and scratches present; the most prevalent of these are some light vertical marks within the wreath.

Now that the finite details have been accounted for, let’s discuss the coin in general terms. It is not at all as difficult to look at as our necessarily accurate description implies. In fact, for an AG coin it’s downright pleasing. The vast majority of known 1799 large cents are well-worn, AG to VG or so, and many of those have far worse problems than the present example. (The Hines cent, on the other hand, is a near-legendary example of the date graded AU-50, and is the finest known example of the date by a long shot.) The specimen offered here would make an excellent “first” of the date for collectors recently bitten by the “old copper” bug.

PCGS Coin Facts