1855 1C N-9 Knob on Ear, BN MS(PCGS#403958)

1855 1C N-9 Knob on Ear, BN MS (PCGS#403958)

The March 2012 Baltimore Auction

详细说明: 1855 Braided Hair Cent. N-9. Rarity-1. Grellman Die State e. Slanting 5s, Knob on Ear. MS-65 BN (PCGS). Faded mint color throughout merging from red to light brown, and free of carbon spots or toning problems. The strike is fairly sharp including all the radial lines on the stars, curls of Liberty and the leaves on the wreath. Furthermore, this is a later die state where localized failure of a most curious nature develops on the obverse die above Liberty's ear. Undoubtedly a gas bubble in the die steel formed when the was cast, and escaped notice. After the die was hubbed with the obverse design and date and was pressed into service, the bubble in the steel began to sink, causing a raised area on the coins struck, like a blob or lump. Remarkably this area continued to sink rapidly, and many coins were struck and entered circulation, making this one of the more available die deteriorations of this era. Furthermore, this die sinking caused such a large and dramatically raised area on the coins struck, they undoubtedly would not stack properly and one wonders how they were ejected properly toward the end of production. For a full three dimensional viewing make sure to linger on the extra blob of copper over Liberty's ear. Ever popular and an unusual state of affairs for the mint of this period.