1803 1C Large Date, Small Fraction, BN MS(PCGS#1497)

August 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1047

等级

VF20BN

价格

266,766

详细说明

Noteworthy 1803 S-264 Cent Rarity Large Date, Small Fraction 1803 Draped Bust Cent. S-264. Rarity-4+. Large Date, Small Fraction. VF-20 (PCGS). Type:Draped Bust. Design: Obv: A draped bust of Liberty faces right with the word LIBERTY above and the date 1803 below. Liberty's hair is tied with a ribbon, the ends of which are plainly evident at the back of the head. Rev: A wreath surrounds the denomination ONE CENT, the base of the wreath bound by a ribbon tied into a bow. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is around the border and another expression of the denomination 1/100 is below. Weight Standard: 10.89 grams. Diameter: 29 mm. Die Variety: Sheldon-264, Breen-24. Obv: Large Date, the digit 1 tall, pointed and nearly touching the hair. The digit 3 is large with a rounded bottom, its upper right corner touching the drapery. This style of date is diagnostic for an 1803-dated obverse, the die also appearing in the S-265 pairing. Rev: Small Fraction with six berries on the left branch and five on the right, diagnostic for this reverse die of the 1803-dated cent. This reverse die also appears in the S-263 pairing. S-264 is the only die marriage that corresponds to the Large Date, Small Fraction Guide Bookvariety of the 1803 Draped Bust cent. Die State: Noyes B/E, Breen II. Obv: Cracked from the border at 9 o'clock, arcing through the lowest ribbon end, the hair curl at the back of the head, the shoulder and continuing to the border right of the digit 1 in the date. A second crack from the border at the end of the bust arcs into the bust to join the first crack in the shoulder above the digit 8 in the date. Faint clash marks are discernible around the ribbon ends and before Liberty's profile. Rev: Prominent arcing crack from the border between the words UNITED and STATES, through the top of the left branch stem, double leaves at the top of the right branch stem, and back to the border at the letter O in OF. Lighter cracks are discernible from the base of the second letter T in STATES to the base of the uppermost leaf on the left branch, and from the lower border through the final digit 0 in the denominator, the fraction bar, left ribbon end and left stem. The die is starting to sink around the letters STA in STATES. Edge: Plain. Mintage: The mintage of 3,131,691 coins that the Guide Bookprovides for the 1803 Draped Bust cent corresponds to the Mint's deliveries for this denomination during calendar year 1803 -- 2,471,353 coins -- plus all but 96,500 of the 756,838 cents (660,338) delivered during calendar year 1804. While many 1803-dated cents were certainly struck during calendar year 1804 (and possibly as late as 1806), the mintage of this issue remains an estimate since we do not know exactly how many 1804-dated cents were struck, or even when all of those coins were produced (they may also have been delivered during calendar year 1805, possibly even 1806). Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-4+: 76 to 117 coins in all grades. Strike: Obverse impression drawn trivially to 3 o'clock, the border fully denticulated, yet thinner at the right than at the left. The reverse is better centered on the planchet, although wear has obscured much of the denticulation with the area at 9 o'clock sharpest in this regard. Overall wear is moderate, yet generally even allowing ample remaining detail to the major design elements. The end of Liberty's bust is a bit blunt, letters STA in STATES weak due to die state, as above. Surfaces: Warm medium brown with intermingled highlights of rose and golden-brown evident. There is good gloss for the assigned grade. Both sides are tight overall with just a trace of microscopic scaling on the reverse and faint pitting along the lower left obverse border. The reverse is smooth, while the obverse has one shallow planchet flaw in the field below Liberty's chin, and another at the border at the right corner of the digit 8 in the date. Close inspection with a loupe reveals wispy handling marks on the obverse, mostly over and around Liberty's neck and bust, a shallow graze bisects the digit 8. Commentary: The Large Date, Small Fraction is the rarest of the six Guide Bookvarieties of the 1803-dated Draped Bust cent. Sheldon-264 is the sole die pairing of the variety, the extant population in all grades perhaps as few as 75 coins (per PCGS CoinFacts). The ESM specimen retains very bold detail and possesses superior eye appeal for the variety; most examples we have offered over the years have been heavily worn, if not also (extensively) impaired. Tied for CC#7 in the Bland census with an EAC grade of Fine-12, the 2015 Noyes census also says CC#7, but with a grade of F15(VF25) Average. The Bland census erroneously states that this is the 1991 Noyes plate coin. A significant find and an important bidding opportunity for advanced early copper enthusiasts. Only two die marriages of the 1803-dated large cent issue feature the Large Date logotype: S-264 with a Small Fraction, offered here; S-265 with a Large Fraction, offered below. The size and style of the digits, which are distinct from those used on the Small Date obverse dies, argues strongly for these two varieties being included in the Mint's deliveries of cents during calendar year 1804. Provenance: From the ESM Collection. Earlier ex David O. Hughes, June 14, 1946; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr. PCGS Population: 3; 4 finer (EF-40 finest). PCGS# 1497. Click here for certification details from PCGS.