1798 USA Draped Bust Large Cent

No expert, but it sure looks good to me!

does look real

From your post, it sounds like it was maybe part of a lot that you bought and simply came with something else that you had your eye on. If so, this is quite a nice coin to pick up unintentionally.

Nice find. It looks genuine to me.

It is hair style 1, which likely was used for 1798-dated cents minted in 1798. (Some were minted in 1799, but dated 1798. Many people believe these coins had hair style 2.) I'll let the experts weigh in on the specific variety number for this one.

It looks to be in the F-12/F-15 range by modern grading standards, but likely would receive a details designation. The top left quadrant of the obverse shows some evidence of an altered surface, probably to eliminate graffiti. (That is a common issue for large cents of this era.) Overall, I could see PCGS coming in a F Details, with either a 94 code (altered surfaces) or 98 code (damage, for graffiti). Even with that designation, you did very well snagging this one.

EDIT: In looking at an enlarged and sharpened version of the obverse photo, there is one thing that makes me pause a little bit. In looking at the "8" in the date, there is more of a curl in the top loop than I remember. The distance between the "7" and "9" is a bit wider, too. This could be fine, or it could be an issue. Here are two photos, a cropped and enhanced version of your coin first, and a known 1798 first hair style coin second. Thoughts?

The date position will vary depending on the Sheldon variety. I believe this one is S-153, and here's a comparison of the OP's coin on top, with a graded S-153 from Heritage below. The date matches up pretty well, and the OP's coin even has the beginnings of an obverse rim Cud at 5:00 that is present in later die states of that die marriage.

It is a S-153. Appears to be somewhere around die stage III with the crack through the point of the bust the die clash marks at the junction of the throat and bust and the bulge developing in the left field near the rim. What strikes me as odd is this variety is supposed to come, even in its earliest stage, with crack through the tops of all the inscription on the reverse. I can see it at the topes of UNIT and AMERI, but not the rest of the legend.

Still tentatively I would say it is real.