1861 Nova Scotia Half Cent

[JJ in TX]

Kind of a long story, but I bought this coin 30+ years ago as a kid from a flea market in NS. I believe that I paid a "King's Ransom" for it at the time - about 20 bucks after some savvy negotiating, lol. I have stored it ever since; after organizing my collection last week I realized that I had forgotten all about this coin. I'll apologize for the terrible pictures; I was using my phone, and the coin is in an old, thick, plastic holder bolted down with screws. I was feeling too nostalgic to remove it. Please let me know what you think of the grade. I have always wondered what it would rate. The pictures do not show how red it is; though it's definitely not full red. Any white specks are on the holder. Thanks in advance!

[coinguy]

Hard to give a grade from those pictures. You don’t show the full coin plus the reverse is too dark.
Also shooting through thick plastic doesn’t help.There are also carbon spots which will affect the grade.

[Bill in Burl]

I'll guess AU 'details"

[JJ in TX]

Thanks for your comments, guys. Additionally, just wanted to give you two a "shout out" - I have read many discussion threads over the years that featured you two (and not just on this web site; "Bill in Burl" is a contributor on several platforms). Your expertise and contribution to the "coin community" do not go unnoticed; thanks for continuing to indulge those of us who seek your expertise.

[coinguy]

Thanks for the shout out.
I am on four different coin websites and I know Bill is on at least three as well.
Some may say we are a little “rough” on newbies at times but we are both older
collectors who don’t sugar coat anything and give direct answers to any questions.
There are too many new collectors out there who believe what they see on places
like YouTube as gospel and get upset when you tell them the truth.