US Coins

An economic overdate, 1800/79 Draped Bust large cent

By Steve Roach

Published: Oct 12, 2017, 8 PM

At just $104, this S-196 1800/79 Draped Bust cent is an affordable example of a popular variety with an overdate that can easily be seen without magnification.

Original images courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

The S-196 1800/79 Draped Bust cent has the 80 in the date punched over a 79. The overdate showcases the economy used at the early Philadelphia Mint, as it crafted dies for the year 1800 from 1799-dated dies.

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

A detailed look at the overdate on the 1800/79 Draped Bust cent shows that the 79 is clearly visible in the date even on heavily worn examples.

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

As part of its Sept. 6 to 12 auctions held during the recent Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Show, Heritage offered The Padula Family Collection of Large Cents. The top coin in that collection — the fifth finest of 10 known 1795 Flowing Hair, Reeded Edge cents — brought $192,000, but the collection of nearly 400 large cents had something for all budgets.

Here is one of three of the 32 1800 Draped Bust cents included in the Padula Collection, showing the diversity of early U.S. large cents, a collecting area that offers history at varying price points:

The Lot:

1800/79 Draped Bust cent, S-196, PCGS Genuine, Good Details, Scratch

The Price:

$104

The Story:

Robert Padula began collecting coins in 1958 when he was a 12-year-old in Rhode Island. His specific interest in large cents emerged two decades later when he had the chance to acquire a group of early large cents from a friend. He then embarked on a date set of U.S. large cents, 1793 to 1857.

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He completed that in a few years, and then looked to collect by Sheldon variety. The collector finished this collection of Early Date (1793 to 1814) large cents in June 2015, and in December of that year he donated his collection to the Padula Family Foundation to help support children of economically distressed families. He said, “As the youngest of seven children of immigrant parents, I still remember the difficult times of the past.”

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His Sheldon 196 1800/79 Draped Bust cent is graded PCGS Genuine, Good Details, Scratched, and even in its well-worn state the overdate is clearly visible. It’s a popular and common variety that showcases the economy used at the early Philadelphia Mint, as it crafted dies for the year 1800 from 1799-dated dies. This one sold for an affordable $104.