Vic's Picks
1c CORONET 1816-39


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Coin Details

  

Set Details
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Design Description:
Item Description:
Grade: PCGS MS 63 BN
Owner: EZ_E
 
Winning Set: Vic's Picks
Date Added: 11/7/2006
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

I bought this coin raw in June 2004 for $550 at a coin show at the Tacoma Dome in Washington state before I even knew what a Randall hoard cent was. I saw it and immediately knew that it would be mine. Oldtrader3 was with me at the show, BTW.<br /><br />I would like to commend Bruce Lee on the outstanding job of capturing this cent in bits and bytes!<br /><br />***********************<br />1820 LARGE CENT<br />***********************<br /><br />Mintage:<br />Circulation strikes: 4,407,550 (plus additional pieces minted in 1819)<br />Proofs: estimated 10<br /><br />Designer: Robert Scot<br /><br />Diameter: 28-29 millimeters<br /><br />Metal content:<br />Copper - 100%<br /><br />Weight: 168 grains (10.89 grams)<br /><br />Edge: Plain<br /><br />Mintmark: None (Philadelphia)<br /><br />Notes: Many of this date were found in the Randall Hoard.<br /><br /><br />Although little documentation exists about the discovery and quantity of the Randall hoard, here are some facts and ideas of the hoard:<br /><br />Roughly 2,100 were sold with Randall's estate upon his death in 1878, but possible hundreds more were dispersed before the estate sale. The hoard contained mostly 1818 cents (about 1,400), followed by 1820 N-13, which is the most famous/popular of the Randall Hoard coins.<br /><br />Shortly after the Civil War, a large keg was found beneath an old railway platform in Georgia. Upon opening, it was discovered to contain several thousand large cents dated from 1816 through 1820. All the coins were probably uncirculated, but many showed carbon flecks from moisture in the atmosphere. The keg was sold to a dry-goods merchant in Norwich, New York who attempted to pass the old coins out to customers as a publicity stunt, but many people refused what was by that time an unfamiliar coin. The remainder of the keg was sold to John Randall, a Norwich coin collector, for 90 cents on the dollar. Randall sold the coins off slowly over the years, in spite of the rumors that they were restrikes. In 1878, as part of Randall's estate, the remaining 2,116 Coronet cents from the hoard were sold at public auction. The 1819s brought $1.28 each, but most of the other dates realized only 5-7 cents apiece. Almost all mint state cents from 1816-1820, many of which still possess original mint red color, are from Randall's hoard. Dates from the 1820s, however, are quite rare in mint state.<br /><br />Some believe that a majority of the coins were corroded beyond recognition. only a small % of the original hoard was actually worthy of dispersal.<br /><br />It is not known for sure how large the hoard actually was although it is believed that the hoard was obtained either directly from the mint or from a bank. Kegs were originally used by the US mint to store such coinage. A typical keg size was capable of containing $50 in face value of large cents.<br /><br />Of the hundreds of Randall coins that have surfaced, the 1820 N-13's always seem to have the greatest state of surface preservation (lack of wear). Furthermore, the 1816-18 cents seem more likely to show signs of wear. In fact, many of the certified 1816-18 Randall coins that are graded as MS-61 through 63 usually are really AU-55 through MS-60 (by conventional grading standards). It seems that if an early copper has any red color remaining whatsoever, a grading service is inclined to assign an MS grade. The point is that the later the date, the better the condition.<br /><br />One more side note: I wonder how many 1820 cents are called "Randall Hoard" cents, when in reality they were not part of the Randall Hoard?

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