Realcent.org

I saw one for sale today and was instantly intrigued. I didn't have my Redbook handy, so I'm not sure which variety it is, or if even the seller had it marked correctly.

He dug this coin himself while bottle hunting about 35 years ago from the ruins of a settlement along the Connecticut River. The coin is in remarkably nice condition, and he recalls it may have been in a bottle. I should think a copper coin lying in soil for two hundred years would've completely deteriorated otherwise.

Anyway, my question is, how do you figure a grade for these early coins? There aren't any grading "standards" in the book like you'd see for most later issues. So far, all I know for sure is it's got the thicker rings, which indicates it isn't a restrike from the 1850's.

How would I differentiate Fine from Very Fine from Extremely Fine?

I'm going back tomorrow to have another look & take some pics. The fellow offering it is pleasant enough, but is more a hobby collector than expert (by his own admission), and would let me have the piece on decent terms. I just need a better starting point.

Lots of restrikes around so be careful. Many of the small mints will make them and, by law, are required to place the word "COPY" in a prominemt place. They're also required to advertise them that way.

Not everyone is that ethical. There are also restrikes from many years ago that weren't required to have COPY stamped on them as well as some Chinese modern-day forgeries (as is the case these days with many of the rare and desirable coins). I've seen ones that look like they're from that era, but have been treated artificially.

Great coin with a lot of history. If you're going through all that expense and effort, make sure you don't get fooled.

Notice at the bottom of my Bar Cent copy, the word "copy".