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CoinWeek: Collecting Large Cents by Type #Copper #coincollecting
Jan 26, 2023
This video is made possible by the generous support of Early American Coppers. If you collect large cents and half cents, there is no better community of collectors to be part of. Visit www.eacs.org to join. In this video, we break down what it takes to pursue one of the most exciting type sets in the U.S. series. Large cents were struck from 1793 to 1857, when the Congress eliminated the large one cent and half cent coins and opted for a smaller one cent coin. The Lincoln cent that we use today traces its roots to this pivotal moment in numismatic history.
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[Music]
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[Music]
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hello my name is Charles Morgan I'm the
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editor of coinweek.com and today in
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cooperation with the early American
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coppers coin Club I present you an easy
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to understand road map and commentary on
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how to build a wonderful collection of
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large scents by type
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when the United States Mint was
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established by Congress in 1792 the
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basis of our nation's revolutionary
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monetary system was a bimetallic
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decimal-based system with silver being
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the basis of the dollar and gold being
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the basis of the higher denomination
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trade coinage called Eagles
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copper that lowly but useful metal would
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be used as an everyday heavy lifter used
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to denominate one percent the Cent or
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when half a percent the half cent of the
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silver dollar
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collecting large sense by type is
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disproportionately expensive in the
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earliest period of federal coinage the
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chain and the wreath sense of 1793 are
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expensive in all grades and perhaps for
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many prohibitedly so even before we get
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to the higher grades
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we will discuss these coins as they are
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required for complete type set
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for those that may find these coins out
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of their reach however begin your
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collection with the beautiful flowing
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hair type of 1793-1796
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for those just starting out a great
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typeset collection starting with the
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drape bus type of 1796 probably one
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struck in 1802 or later might be more
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obtainable yet still enjoyable
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we will cover all of these types in the
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following program and no matter what
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your budget for coins is we hope to
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provide you great actionable information
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to help you begin your journey with
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early American copper coins
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let's begin
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the chain said
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for those completing a complete large
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scent type set the 1793 chain will prove
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to be the most challenging most
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expensive piece
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chain sensor scarce in all grades scarce
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are still with problem-free surfaces and
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the upper circulated or mint State
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grades
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the coin's low relief design details
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were quickly worn down in circulation
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and locating an example in very fine to
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extra fine with attractive services will
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prove to be very difficult
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the wreath scent
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Vine and bars and lettered Edge
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varieties are price equivalent more or
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less up to the grade of extra fine or
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EAC grade very fine 25. at extra fine
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examples with pleasing eye appeal can
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cost as much as 20 000 to 25
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000.
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The Reef reverse replace the
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unattractive and perhaps foreboding
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chain design which was based on the
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Continental dollar design by Benjamin
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Franklin
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the liberty cap scent
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the liberty cap sent debuted in 1793. it
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is a classic large scent design beloved
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by collectors for Generations
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in 1793
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11056 liberty cap sends were struck
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meaning fewer of these were struck than
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chain and wreath sense
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a simplified version of the large scent
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type might only include one liberty cap
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scent probably the popular 1794 which is
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different than the 1793 but it is
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important to know that different Master
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hubs were used to create the 1794
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meaning that the 1793 is a type
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the Drake busson entered production in
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1796 replacing the liberty cap design of
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1793-1796
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it is a classic design that appeared not
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only on the half cent and the scent but
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larger denominations in silver as well
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here condition is going to be a key
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factor the market for early dates has
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been so strong in recent years but you
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really won't find a type coin in this
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series that is available in mint state
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for less than ten thousand dollars nice
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XF coins are starting to command these
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numbers as well
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you can find lightly problematic pieces
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with XF details or better at the three
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to five thousand dollar price level
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dates we like the most are the 1797 and
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the 1798 with the second hairstyle
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because these are 18th century copper
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coins but 1802 is another popular type
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date
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as tough as the drape bus type is so too
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is the classic head style of 1808 to
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1814.
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a short-lived series The Design is
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attributed to Mint Chief engraver Joseph
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Reich
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reich's Liberty cuts a fashionable
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figure in line with the high society
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women of her time
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planchets are still being sourced from
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England in fact the United States Mint
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was lucky because it had procured nearly
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2 million blanks just prior to the
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outbreak of the war of 1812. which means
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that the scent production wasn't
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completely interrupted by the war with
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England
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keep in mind half said production would
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stop in 1812 and not resume until 1825.
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after the June 1812 delivery of copper
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blanks the mint would not take delivery
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of new English copper until December
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1815. therefore no sense dated 1815 or
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produced but 465
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500 were delivered on February 27.
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it's not likely that these were of the
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new matron head type as to put into
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production a new design style and
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deliver half a million coins in less
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than two months would have been quite an
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accomplishment EAC members Bill Ekberg
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and Dr Ronald Manley and others have
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studied the issue and suggest that it is
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likely that 1814 dated since were struck
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and delivered in 1816. that seems to
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Bear out in the surviving populations
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this is an expensive series to buy in
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mint state but xf-40 examples of Most
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states are available for under 2500
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including the 1814 with both plain 4 and
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cross slip 4 date styles
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in 1816 Robert Scott's matron head or
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Coronet had sent as some call it debuted
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Liberty appears more mature than in our
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previous incarnations the hair detail is
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refined and articulate the diatom is
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larger with bold letters
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I've always found Liberty's nose on this
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style to be its most distinctive feature
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the existence of hordes provides for a
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higher number than expected in the
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survival rate of several dates one of
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the most common that you will find is
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the 1820 which survives in mint state in
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number many with original red
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these coins famously have arcing die
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cracks that run along the star path
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Brown and red Brown examples of the
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state sell for eight hundred to twelve
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hundred dollars in mint State 60 to 62.
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nice Au pieces bring 500 and up and an
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extra fine one can procure a type coin
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for just a few hundred dollars
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what is interesting about large scent
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type collecting is how quickly you go
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from collecting types to collecting
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subtypes to committing to guidebook
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variety collecting and shutter to think
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collecting by die marriage
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one reason for that is that collecting
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large sense by these categories is
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richly rewarding
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another reason is that there really
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isn't the clear break between types that
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one might expect
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just as the 1793 and 1794 Liberty
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capsense could be considered separate
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types the transition years in the 1830s
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between Scott's matron head and
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Christian gobrecht's braided hair since
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could also be described as separate
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types
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the transition from matron head to
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braided hair began in 1835 and continued
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with head revisions throughout most of
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the rest of the decade
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1839 saw the issue of three headstyles
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the booby head and silly head versions
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are a fascinating collecting specialty
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all on their own
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subtle revisions took place at the
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beginning of the braided hair years as
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well until the mature head style emerged
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in 1843
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for this type survivors are plentiful
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and nice coins can be acquired for under
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a thousand dollars even in mint state
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a brief rundown of collecting large
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scents by type I'd like to thank the
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early American coppers for helping to
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fund this video
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is a fun and challenging Pursuit driven
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collecting activity
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how far are you along let me know in the
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comments I'd love to read it for coin
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week I'm editor Charles Morgan happy
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collecting
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