1821 1C, RD MS(PCGS#1623)

August 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1078

等级

MS63RD

价格

183,402

详细说明

Superb Full Red 1821 Large Cent A Treasure from a Boston Cornerstone 1821 Matron Head Cent. N-2. Rarity-1. MS-63 RD (PCGS). CAC. Type:Matron Head. Design: Obv: A head of Liberty faces left with 13 stars around the border and the date 1821 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-2. Obv: A strong inner circle extends almost completely around the periphery just inside the denticles, the circle broken in a few places from 1 to 2 o'clock, as well as below the date. There is a fairly bold die scratch between star 1 and the date that slants down toward the border from the end of Liberty's bust. The 1821 N-2 represents the only use of this obverse die. Rev: A denticle is centered over the letter I in AMERICA ("I dotted"), and the letters AMER in the same word are widely spaced. The latter feature is diagnostic for this variety since the only other die marriage of the 1821 cent, N-1, is identifiable by close spacing for the letters AMER in AMERICA. The 1821 N-2 represents the only use of this reverse die. Both marriages of this issue correspond to the single Guide Booklisting for the 1821 Matron Head cent. Die State: Noyes A/A. Obv: Perfect. Rev: Perfect. Edge: Plain. Mintage for the Issue: 389,000 coins. Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-1: More than 1,500 coins in all grades. Strike: Smartly impressed with good centering, this piece offers an excellent strike with all stars showing full radial lines and the central design elements boldly to sharply rendered. Close inspection with a loupe reveals strike doubling to many of the letters in the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Surfaces: The surfaces are bright and even orange-red mint color, and are rich with luster. The obverse is softly frosted with strong cartwheel, while the reverse is more satiny. There are a few minor spots scattered about, the largest, at the obverse border between star 1 and the date, serves as a useful identifier. Another spot, less prominent, is concealed within the wreath below the letters TE in STATES on the reverse. Some minor handling marks are noted, none serious, with a nick in the field above Liberty's head the only contact point of any consequence. The technical quality is superb, as is the visual appeal. Commentary: One of the most famous of all middle date cents, a full Red specimen of the key date 1821 is a particularly significant condition rarity that is worthy of strong bidder consideration. The present example has the added desirability of a provenance that begins with its interment in a Boston cornerstone in 1821, where it remained until its rediscovery and sale in 1981. This is its third public appearance since that time, following our (American Numismatic Rarities') January 2006 sale and our (Stack's) sale of November 2008. From 1981 to 2006 the coin was in the collection of Gary Fitzgerald. The find that produced this cent has gone down as numismatic legend, incorporating both a story of found treasure and an insider's story of a famed auction. About 1981, a building in Boston was renovated or razed, revealing a cornerstone from its initial construction in 1821. Within the cornerstone were seven cents, placed inside when they were brand new and preserved ever since. All seven were sold in New England Rare Coin Auctions' Long Beach II Sale of October 1981, each graded Mint State and, aside from some spotting, retaining abundant mint color. As noted in Q. Dave Bowers' American Coin Treasures and Hoards(1997), where the Boston Cornerstone Find is described on pages 96 to 97, "Adding to their appeal was the appreciation of the 1821 cent as the second scarcest (after 1823) of the later-date large cents." Six of the pieces went to Gary Fitzgerald, while the seventh went to R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr. The ESM specimen is considered one of the finest 1821 cents from the Boston Cornerstone Find. In his census, Noyes assigns an EAC grade of MS-63, Net MS-60 and ranks it as tied for CC#1 with another 1821 N-2 cent from the same find (NERCA 10/81:61). John Wright likewise names this piece as one of "the best four pieces" from the Boston Cornerstone Find. The lucky high bidder will not only own one of the finest 1821 cents in existence, but will be adding their name to a fascinating provenance that extends all the way back to the year this coin was struck. Provenance: From the ESM Collection. Interred in a cornerstone in Boston in 1821, then rediscovered circa 1981; New England Rare Coin Auctions' Long Beach II Sale of October 1981, lot 64; Gary Fitzgerald; our (American Numismatic Rarities') Robert Michael Prescott Collection sale, January 2006, lot 34; our (Stack's) Keusch, Snow, & Del Zorro Collections sale, November 2008, lot 3074. PCGS Population (both die marriages of the issue): 1; 3 finer in this category (all MS-64 RD). PCGS# 1623. NGC ID: 2258. Click here for certification details from PCGS.