1794 Large Cent, Dropped 4

[23Pairer]

Hey everybody,a friend of mine purchased this coin, and we are looking to identify rarity and interest in this coin. Has anyone else seen /have this variety, and are there any links to info on this. Thank you in advance. Bob

 

 

[23Pairer]

Sorry about the size. Photobucket sometimes does not save the edits to the photos. Bob

[Hoot]

Hi 23 Pairer -

 

The coin that you show is an S-63 1794 cent that's given a rarity rating of R3. It's often called the "fallen 4" variety. The piece you show has reasonably nice obverse details (around VG8) and typically weak reverse details (around G4). The coin shows some significant corrosion, some pitting, and some discoloration. I would net grade the piece AG3 by EAC guidelines with an A- to scudzy appearance rating. That places the value of the piece at about $75.

 

Value and other such business aside, this is a pretty interesting piece. An article in the recent Penny-Wise talked extensively about the reverse of this piece (Reverses Revisited, by Jim Neiswinter). It appears that a strong case has been made that the reverse of the S-63 is also that of the 1793 S-13 Liberty Cap cent. Additionally, the obverse is unique for any variety in the date. The lines of evidence (and I'm greatly abbreviating them) combine to indicate that this coin should be significantly moved up in the emission sequence of 1794 cents (and there are lots of them - about 83) to that of S-22 or so! (S-21 is the first 1794 cent in the emission sequence.)

 

So, the piece that you show, although not particularly rare or monetarily valuable, has great character and is a fabulous piece for any collection.

 

Hoot

[23Pairer]

Thanks for the info, Hoot, I will pass it along to my friend. Bob