1817 1C 15 Stars, BN MS(PCGS#1597)

August 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1070

等级

AU58BN

价格

26,677

详细说明

Perennially Popular 1817 15 Stars Cent 1817 Matron Head Cent. N-16. Rarity-1. 15 Stars. AU-58 (PCGS). Type:Matron Head. Design: Obv: A head of Liberty faces left with 15 stars (in error) around the border and the date 1817 below. She is wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, her hair tied into a bun at the back of her head by a plain cord. Rev: A circular wreath encloses the denomination ONE CENT with the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the border. Weight Standard: 10.89 grams. Diameter: 28-29 mm. Die Variety: Newcomb-16. Obv: Easily recognized as the only die in the entire Matron Head cent series with 15 stars around the border, here in its only pairing. The 1s in the date are blunt, and there is a jagged triangular die break at the bottom of Liberty's ear. Rev: Readily attributable by the presence of a double denticle at 6:30. Close inspection with a loupe reveals faint repunching at the upper right side of the letter F in OF. This reverse also appears in the 1816 N-1 pairing. N-16 is the only die marriage that corresponds to the 15 Stars Guide Bookvariety of the 1817 Matron Head cent. Die State: Noyes A/A. Obv: Perfect. Rev: Perfect. Edge: Plain. Mintage for the Issue: 3,948,400 coins. Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-1: More than 1,500 coins in all grades. Strike: A crisp early die state, both sides exhibit full denticulation, although the border is thin along the upper right reverse due to centering, typical of the variety. The stars on the obverse are sharp with full centrils, wear is minimal (per the assigned grade) and confined to the highest points of Liberty's portrait and the wreath. Surfaces: This is a hard and satiny example with no marks of consequence to overall smooth looking surfaces. The obverse exhibits a splash of olive-charcoal patina over the lower two thirds of the coin with lighter autumn-brown toward the upper border. The reverse is predominantly autumn-brown, yet with similar olive-charcoal over the upper third of the coin. Close inspection with a loupe reveals light carbon associated with the olive-charcoal on the reverse, a few faint planchet flakes on the obverse around star 13 are as made. Commentary: The 1817 cent with 15 stars has long been a classic of the middle date series, and though it is not rare, the demand for attractive examples has always resulted in strong performance at auction. This variety almost certainly represents an error in the die preparation process. The engraver either miscounted the number of stars or misjudged the spacing between the first few stars and had to bring the total count to 15 instead of the intended 13 to fill the periphery. High quality die steel was in such short supply during the first few decades of U.S. Mint operations that producing blundered coins was preferable to wasting a good die. With only 10 Mint State grading events for the variety recorded by PCGS, this sharp and attractive Choice AU is sure to find its way into an advanced collection. Provenance: From the ESM Collection. PCGS Population (15 Stars variety only): 16; 9 finer in this category (MS-65 BN finest). There is also an MS-64 RB listed at this service. PCGS# 1597. Click here for certification details from PCGS.