Help identifying this 1976-1807 Draped Bust Cent 0

[Nate Olson]

---CLEARER IMAGES POSTED IN REPLY (after cleaning)---

I cannot figure out what year this is as that portion is very worn. I have been looking at this and I think that it is the third variety, but the small gap in between the stems of the branches and the ribbon do not appear on my coin, which makes it look more like the second variety. Anyway, the berries and leaves and branches all line up differently but I am having trouble matching my coin. The other issue is that the 1797 variety ran the entire span when the coin was minted (The first version was only used in 1796 and the second version was only used in 1796 and 1797), so if it is that one, I would still need more hints as to the year...

Edited August 11, 2019 by Nate Olson

[Nate Olson]

This is what it looks like after I rubbed it with warm water and soap (in my hands). Maybe it wasn't the best idea because now the coin is darker, but the image is definitely clearer now, especially on the reverse.

[Conder101]

Well it is type 2 hair and a type of 97 rev.  So it is after mid 1798 and the rev looks like the hubbed rev used for the last half of the 98's, all the 99's and 1800's.  best I can do without references, a lot of time and upright images.  It is probably a 98 or 1800.

[Just Bob]

Don't clean any more of your coins.

(And, I knew if anyone could find markers on that extremely worn cent, it would be Conder101. )

[Nate Olson]

6 hours ago, Just Bob said:

Don't clean any more of your coins.

(And, I knew if anyone could find markers on that extremely worn cent, it would be Conder101. )

Did it decrease the value any? I read that even in this condition they can be worth over $100!

 

20 hours ago, Conder101 said:

Well it is type 2 hair and a type of 97 rev.  So it is after mid 1798 and the rev looks like the hubbed rev used for the last half of the 98's, all the 99's and 1800's.  best I can do without references, a lot of time and upright images.  It is probably a 98 or 1800.

Thank you!

[Just Bob]

9 hours ago, Nate Olson said:

Did it decrease the value any? 

Possibly. Many, if not most, collectors prefer, or even demand, that their coins have "original surfaces." That means uncleaned, un-messed-with in any way. In the case of a heavily worn coin, such as this, which obviously has been "messed with" many times over the years it circulated, the definition of "original" is probably closer to "looking the same as it did the day it was removed from circulation." If you were to send it in to be graded, and it came back with "cleaned " on the label, that would almost certainly lower the price you could get when selling.