Now as a history person and sometimes science geek, I get why copper was one of the first metals manipulated by humans. It is soft, it is pliable, it is easy, but kids, IT IS SO FLIMSY! So its ability to last thru time is, let’s go with…. lacking. Thus some of the lovely coins that we got to look at, by intention, had not a lot of details to work with. When the big reference point is the location of the date on the obverse and the berries on the reverse, and both are gone. Kind of hard to know what you are looking at. Thank God for the instructors incredible depth of subject matter.
The class, once again, was great, but attributing late dates coppers that have most of the obverse and reverse worn off…. Let’s say I am glad that I know go to people for this. But again we got to see some interesting pieces, including a set of 1823/1813 dies that made restrikes in 1823 (history and coin nerds cheer). And some coppers that were, quite nice, AU even!
So start with the date….date? What date?
So an easy way to attribute this is by looking the legend……
Now I am back home and the piles on my desk, left by the super helpful elves at work, are coppers that I have to attribute. I think they know I have new books and notes! It’s not quite the level of resources I had in class, but then again except for two weeks a year in Colorado Springs, not sure when that level of resources is available!
