1808 1C, BN MS(PCGS#1543)

December 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1011

等级

MS67BN

价格

251,680

详细说明

Condition Rarity 1808 Classic Head Cent Sheldon-278 Finest Certified for the Issue 1808 Classic Head Cent. S-278. Rarity-3. MS-67 BN (NGC). Offered is a truly outstanding example of one of the most conditionally challenging design types in all of U.S. numismatics. Highly lustrous bluish-steel and rose-brown with a faint wisp of darker steel toning at the cap above the letters RT in LIBERTY. The surfaces are satiny and the luster is unbroken. The only notable marks are a pair of very tiny nicks on the base of the digit 1 in the date, a speck of carbon on the leaf above the letter C in CENT, and a short pin scratch at the letters S O in STATES OF. Middle die state, Noyes B/B, Breen II. Softly struck along the denticles at the right obverse and reverse, but the rest of the details are crisp and the eye appeal is outstanding. Struck very slightly off center to 3 o'clock. A beautiful example of the popular, yet challenging "Turban Head" cent. Produced for only seven years from 1808 through 1814, the Classic Head cent design is the work of German-born engraver John Reich. Known for years among numismatists as the Turban Head cent (based on the name popularized by Edouard Frossard in his 1879 monograph), the more familiar Classic Head name used today actually predates Frossard's description and is attributed to Ebenezer Locke Mason, Jr. in 1868. Regardless of the exact circumstances of its design and replacement, the Classic Head series is one of the shortest among early coppers from the United States Mint. The paucity of examples produced does not alone explain why this is also one of the most challenging types to locate in finer circulated and Mint State grades. Planchet stock for this series, all of which was supplied by Matthew Boulton of Birmingham, England, is inferior to that which the Mint used to produce other large cent types. The copper used for the Classic Head coinage is softer with more metallic impurities, which made the finished coins more susceptible to wear, environmental damage and unattractive toning. Indeed, the vast majority of survivors of all dates of this type are well worn or impaired. Even many high grade survivors exhibit streaky and/or splotchy toning that, while not a factor in determining the grade, can limit a coin's appeal. Problem free, high quality Mint State examples that also possesses attractive color and strong eye appeal are difficult to find. This first year 1808 is just such a coin and would make an impressive addition to the finest type or variety set. Provenance: From the Larry H. Miller Collection. Earlier ex Lester Merkin, 1974; Andrew M. Hain; Dennis Steinmetz; Steve Ivy's ANA Sale of August 1980, lot 968; Devonshire Rare Coin Galleries, August 1991; Stuart Levine; Heritage's ANA Sale of July 1994, lot 6181; our (Stack's) sale of the Hain Family Collection, Part II, January 2002, lot 755; Heritage's FUN Signature Sale of January 2003, lot 5190; our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of the James W. Lull Collection, January 2005 Rarities Sale, lot 640. Combined PCGS and NGC Population (all die marriages of the issue): just 1 in MS-67 in all categories; 0 finer. PCGS# 1543. NGC ID: 224P. Click here for certification details from NGC.