1856 10C Small Date AU55 认证号43682883, PCGS号4609

Gordon Wrubel

You are at a coin convention and you are offered a "raw" Mint State 1856 10C at a favorable price. How can you tell if it is the very common Small Date or the much rarer Large Date? This is an easy call if you look at the 5 in the date. The Small Date variety has a "Slanted" 5, while the Large Date has an "Upright" 5. The Small Date is about 5 times more common than the Large Date. In high grade the Small Date has more than two dozen graded 65 or better (with a lone 67 at the top). At this writing, the Large Date shows only one 66 and one 67 at the top. The next highest graded is MS64.