Help me out with a couple grades (Canadian Large Cents)

[stldanceartist]

Hello again!

Just like the title says, if you have some expertise grading large cents, please help me out.  Always seems like I tend to overgrade these by a grade.

1858 (note - that's not a scratch on the reverse, that's a pretty cool die crack!)


1876 H


1899 (looks uncirculated in hand)


1907 H


Thank you!

[Figleaf]

I am an equal opportunity grader. I have no experience with grading specific coins.

Coin 1 and 4 vf/ef. Coin 1 shows wear near the ear, coin 4 on the beard and high point of shoulder. The other two ef, or ef+ if you wish (personally, I don't like quarter grades.) Great detail, but lack of lustre. The lower part of the nose on coin 3 looks bizarre.

The light may deceive me. The best way to grade is having access to the coin, rather than a picture. Grading is of limited use.

Peter

[Pellinore]

I don't know anything about Canadian coins, but the designs are beautiful. The leaf circle on the reverse appears not to have changed in 50 years. Are these red oak leaves (quercus robur)? Not maple leaves I think. And not English oak (quercus robur) either, it seems.
The lettering on the obverse of 4 is much more subtle (influence of art nouveau on typography?). I think the head or bust shouldn't touch the pearl circle, as it does on 1, 2 and 3. But this is just my idea about the harmony of the design of coins like this.

I'm with Peter in the grades. 1 and 4 have a little wear, so vf, but they appear to be unscratched, and you may give a little plus for that.
-- Paul

[Prosit]

In US terms I would grade 1 and 4 as EF
Coin three as AU
and coin 2 is too close to tell it is either AU or unc.

Dale

[constanius]

The 1876 has two well split 'D's, filled die I suspect.

Pat

[constanius]

Well worth a look http://www.vickycents.com/prime.html   

Pat

[Pellinore]

Really enjoyed that very detailed Vickycents website about attractive Canadian coins. You may learn a lot about how coins were made, only 1 1/2 century ago. And so they are maple leaves after all.
-- Paul

[bgriff99]

Really enjoyed that very detailed Vickycents website about attractive Canadian coins. You may learn a lot about how coins were made, only 1 1/2 century ago. And so they are maple leaves after all.
-- Paul

They are supposed to be sugar maple leaves.   Between 1876 and 1899 they lost their defined shape and became red maple leaves.