This is the scarcer of the two 1799 Sheldon varieties, at R4 (very scarce.) Difficult but not impossible to find. I purchased this from an EAC friend of mine who had several pass through his hands in 2000. I was happy to end up with this one; a very nice Good with a better obverse and a weaker reverse and no problems.

This is one of the few slabbed large cents I have. Definitely not the prettiest coin, but for this rare date it's pretty much the best I can afford. The surfaces are a bit porous, but it does have a bit more than half a date and some semblance of a reverse. The photo isn't great; it's not easy to shoot thru plastic.) The cents of 1799 are among the most counterfeited of all U.S. coins, so it's nice to make an exception and have a certified one.

A very deceptive alteration from a 1798 Sheldon-179. Those familiar with the characteristics of a genuine '99 would spot this as an altered date, given the position of LIBERTY and the date, and especially the reverse. I purchased this from a gentleman whose father bought the coin in the 1940's, and the alteration occurred probably a long time before that.