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The Error Collector's Blog

08 Mar 2023

Purchasing a 1795 Large Cent

Young Numismatists Exchange | The Error Collector

Our local coin show was held last month.  They have the coin show twice a year.  I like the coin shows because I can help at the kids table, show an exhibit, buy coins, and say hello to the dealers.  We helped set up tables the night before the show started. In the morning of the show, we went and quickly set up our exhibits. Then we went and enjoyed a hike with our grandparents that were visiting us. After the hike we went home, had lunch, and dropped them off at the airport. After we dropped them off, we went back to the coin show. I walked around browsing the dealers' cases and saw several interesting coins. I also sold several of my coins that I did not want in my collection anymore. About half an hour later I was still browsing and looking for the first thing I wanted to purchase that day when I came across a dealer that had several large cents. Because I collect large cents, I quickly got interested and looked through the dealer's box. Next to the other coins there was a 1795 S-78 (Sheldon-78) large cent in the grade AG-3 that I quickly noticed. It caught my eye! Not having that date of large cent in my album I asked the dealer how much it cost. After looking at it he said that it cost more money than I brought with me to the show.  I had my dad drive me home to pick up more money. After I went back to the coin show I went back to that dealers table and bought the large cent then I wandered around and bought several other large cents that I needed for my collection.

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03 Feb 2023

Finding a rotationally miss-aligned die large cent

Young Numismatists Exchange | The Error Collector

The ANA has several amazing youth programs that help young numismatists learn about coins and earn cool prizes, they include the Dollar Project, the Early American Copper Coin Project and the Ancient Coin Project. I completed the Dollar Project last year, and am now working on the Early American Copper Project.  I completed the first section and received an 1854 Braided Hair large cent.  To get the Matron Head large cent I had two write two blog posts, which I published here on the ANA website, and also get elected as an officer in my local coin club. I eagerly completed the requirements and sent in the form for the second coin.  I received a Matron Head large cent for the second submission. The coin I got was an 1835 Matron Head large cent that graded VG-8.  This grade is described in the Red Book as  "LIBERTY, date, stars, and legends clear.  Part of hair cord visible."    This coin is worth about $30.  I wondered about what it would have purchased back when it was minted.  According to The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, October 1947 (p. 170), in 1835 a cent could buy about one 1/3 ounce of pork, 1 ounce of bacon and ½ ounce of sugar. This is quite a bit more than a cent can purchase today!  I don't know of anything that I could buy with just one cent! My dad used to go buy penny candies for one cent, but nobody sells them anymore.

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