A nice 1816 that came out of the Internet-only part of the Jules Reiver sale. It was labeled "Environmental Damage", but I thought this was a bit harsh as it has pretty good eye appeal.

A nice coin I purchased from an EAC member. Close date with a small die crack from the bust tip to the rim. This is a scarce R4 variety. Formerly owned by John Wright, which I thought was neat since he wrote the book (literally) on the middle dates!

An eBay purchase. The bottom of the 8 in the date is unfinished; hence the moniker "Pincer 8". A scarce variety, and especially tough with the mouse break. This specimen doesn't have the full mouse, but the start of the break, which shows up as just a tiny dot above Miss Liberty's head. In the September, 1993 issue of PennyWise (thanks John Wright!), Jay Miller states that each of the four "mouse" varieties can be found in this so-called "peeking mouse" state. (Jay owns an N3 and an N8 in the "peeking mouse" die state.)

In mid-2007, Chris Victor-McCawley, copper dealer extraordinaire, posted a note that he had some duplicate cents from the Dan Holmes collection. This one was on the list, without a photo, and I took a chance on it. Great coin with excellent detail.

I bought this off eBay from an EAC dealer. Nice, low-grade specimen. This is one of four 1817 cents that comes with a "mouse" die break on top of the head. One of my first middle dates.

If there was ever a fun year to collect in the middle date series, I would choose 1817. Die cracks, mice, 15-star obverses, this date has it all. This coin came out of the Jules Reiver Internet-only auction.

I bought this on eBay with a "Buy it Now", which I rarely use because the "Buy it Now" price is almost always too high. Not this time. A pretty common variety, but always in demand because of its uniqueness. This is a nice, no-problem specimen.

A nice coin I purchased from an EAC guy. The middle dates in general is one area I've seriously needed to upgrade, even for a date set. Not a bad example for this year.

A real cheapy off eBay. I didn't notice the "X" scratch until I got the coin. Pretty decent for the grade otherwise.

Purchased from a major EAC dealer. This coin was once owned by Jack Robinson and sold in the famous Superior auction of his collection in 1989 for $11! Probably the cheapest buy in the whole sale. I purchased it in 2007. Low grade, but not a bad coin!

Rarely does one look at a large cent and find no problems at all with it! This one's close. Virtually mark-free surfaces and great eye appeal. Part of the Jules Reiver sale.

The Newcomb 2 variety of this scarcer date, and my first middle date of 1998.

My first middle date large cent, purchased off eBay in 1997 at a cheap price. Decent surfaces with slight graffiti in the left obverse field. I bought another 1822 N2 at a show recently (unattributed; didn't even know it was an N2.) A friend of mine needed an 1822, so I offered him a choice of this one or the new one. He chose the new one (a better coin; good choice.) So I still have my first middle date!

This is the third one of these I've had in my collection; it came from a prominent eBay seller. Backgrounds on the other two:

The second one was my only purchase at the Foley, Alabama annual coin show in 2006. There's one gentleman who always has a nice selection of large cents and I've never passed his table (ever) without buying at least one coin from him, and I've encountered him at shows many times over the years. The first one I owned came from eBay in a PCI VG10 "no problem" holder, but was scratched pretty bad on the reverse. (So much for no problem.)

I bought this off a fixed price list. 1823 is the toughest date of the middle dates, and N2 is the scarcer of the two varieties from this year, or so I've read (seems like N1 and N2 are pretty much equal to me.) Still, a pretty obtainable coin. At a recent coin show, I saw a similar coin for about $15 less than what I paid for this one. Live and learn.

I got this at the Biloxi show in March of 1998. It was in a dealer's junk box for $9. I already had an 1824 at the time, but this was a better one, cheaper, and an overdate to boot. Neat coin and the most inexpensive large cent I own.

A cheap middle date purchased in the summer of 1997, along with many others about the same time.

A slightly tougher date from the decade of 1820. I purchased this from Rod Burress (the first time I had ever met him) at the Dalton, GA show in 1998.

I bought this from an EAC dealer off of eBay. This was later in 1998 after I had joined EAC. Slightly better than some of the earlier middle dates I have.

I bought this from an EAC dealer off of eBay in the summer of 1997 (before I had joined EAC.)

A nice coin that I purchased off eBay. Not a scarce variety, but this is the only small date variety for 1828, and a popular one due to its Redbook status.

Another cheapy I bought off eBay, late in 1997.

An eBay purchase. I bought it for resale thinking it was N5, but when I received the coin I realized it was N3, which I didn't have, and was the only 1829 Small Letters Reverse I lacked! So into the collection it went.

A tougher variety at R3+. It's noted for having small letters on the reverse, with the reverse struck bluntly and all of the A's being repunched. I purchased this at EAC '03.

Scarce at R3, and by far the most interesting 1829 variety in terms of die cracks. Dubbed the "Wheelspokes Reverse", this variety in its latest die state has five radial die cracks which can be found through the reverse legend to the rim in the following places: between (E)D S(T), through A(M), (E)R, through the bottom of the reverse, and the fifth through (A)T. From the Evan Kopald collection. All five die cracks are visible on this coin, with three being quite bold.

A tough "small letters" variety at R4. This variety is recognizable by the 1 in the date, which tilts noticeably to the right. An eBay purchase (yes, there ARE some nice coins on eBay!) This coin is pretty much everything you'd ever want in a "collector coin": scarce, attractive, and affordable. And the small letters reverse is a bonus.

I got this off USCents auction. Probably one of the nicest 1830's I've ever seen for the grade (very close to Fine; I call it VG+.) I had had trouble finding a nice example of this date for some reason, so when this one came along I couldn't pass it up. The first large cent I ever saw came from my grandmother; an 1830, dark and not too terribly attractive. I still have that coin.

A neat variety I got from an EAC friend. The reverse comes perfect and also with a cud at TES of STATES. This is a late, but not the latest, die state.

Terminal die state of this variety. The cud at TES now fills in the entire top of S, with a crack emerging from the top right of S. I acquired both 1831 N11's from the same gentleman.

I got this in a lot of coins off eBay. It's probably the most interesting of the 1831's, due to its various die states. This earlier die state has a die crack thru the stars. Later die states have a cud that forms at K5 on the obverse, eventually becoming a huge cud known as the "harpooned whale". The earlier die states are relatively common.

The second one of these I've owned; both were purchased off of eBay. The seller of this specimen was an EAC gentleman. It's about the same detail as the first one, but with better surfaces. The cheapest of the 1831 N12's with a cud.

Probably the most colorfully named of all of the middle date variety/die states. N12 in and of itself is common, but this late die state is quite scarce. Dubbed "The Harpooned Whale" due to the whale-shaped obverse die break, with star 13 acting as the "harpoon". An EAC friend of mine as at least a DOZEN "whales". (I didn't purchase this one from him, but rather found it at a local coin show, of all places. Talk about an improbability.) This specimen is in at least BU condition (beat up,) and may be in the Condition Census (for worst known examples.) This coin has it all: pits, dents, dings, etc. But it's not totally corroded, has a full date, and a "harpoon", so it's not all bad.

I bought this from an EAC buddy of mine. A tougher year from the decade. Nice die crack thru the stars.

My first cent from the 1830's, and a neat one, with a die break encircling the obverse stars.

A nice 1834 that a friend of mine found for me at the EAC 2001 convention. As of 2001, I'm not big into the middle dates, but with this coin I'm two short of completing a 1816 to 1839 date set, lacking only 1835 and 1836. (Anyone have nice, low to mid grade coins for sale?) Note: After writing this, an EAC friend of mine came to my rescue. Thank you!

Another Jules Reiver coin that was in an NGC "problem" slab. Viewing the coin in person, I still don't know what the problem is. Nice example with reverse die cracks. I guess the saying "buy the coin, not the slab" also works in reverse!

Strange - after needing an 1836 to complete a date set of middle dates, this is my third 1836. I purchased the N5 first, then the N6 with an obverse cud. Logically, this one had to come next - it has a cud at K11, virtually a mirror image of the cud position of N6! A nice matched set.

The last coin I needed to complete a middle date set of large cents (by date.) Nice example. (Wish all looked like this!) This was purchased in July 2001.

A neat middle date I found on eBay. This example has a small obverse cud at K1 which is an immediate identifier as to the variety. Strangely enough, 1836 N3 has an almost mirror-image cud at K11. (I suppose I need to find a 1836 K3 with a cud to go along with this one now!)

An eBay purchase from an EAC dealer. I had originally bought this coin for resale, but I liked the color so much that into the collection it went. (Perhaps I should try for a complete variety set for this year!)

Purchased at the Pensacola coin show from a New Orleans dealer. Great color, and a neat die crack through stars 3 through 8 on the obverse. One of two 1837 varieties which share this obverse with the crack.

A great coin that I purchased from an EAC buddy's fixed price list. This variety is officially N7, but Newcomb had listed N7 and N8; "N7" is the later die state. As it turns out, this coin was once owned by John Wright (the author of The Cent Book) and is the plate coin for the variety in his book. This coin is a "glorious tan" to use Wright's term, and it has a neat die crack through STATES OF.

A neat coin I purchased off eBay. This variety is known for its many die states, and this is a later state with many cracks visible. The most noticeable are the obverse crack that bisects the portrait and the "lightning bolt" crack at the top of the obverse. Other cracks include a crack through the 3 in the date, from the rim through star 12 back to the rim, from the wreath through the first S in STATES, and from the rim through AT to the wreath.

Part of a large group of large cents I got off eBay. This was one of the better examples in the group.

Part of a large group of large cents I got off eBay. A decent example, but perhaps a candidate for upgrade.

Also known as the "Head of 1840", and one of the easiest 1839's to attribute due to the fact that N8 is the only 1839 variety with the petite head. A nice coin that I purchased off eBay in a group lot.

One of the transitional years with interesting sounding names. This one has the bust protrusion at the back of the hair and is dubbed the "Booby Head" variety. Purchased off eBay.