Lot 141
1798 S-155 R3 Style I Hair, Small 8, Reverse of 1795. PCGS graded MS-65 Brown. Lustrous light chocolate and steel brown with darker steel brown toning on the highpoints of the portrait and traces of frosty reddish tan faded down from mint color in protected areas. A beautiful cent, essentially flawless. The best identifying marks are a tiny spot of slightly darker reddish chocolate toning near the dentils off the lower end of the hair ribbon and a puff of darker olive steel toning under the first T in STATES. Nicely struck MDS, Breen state III late. The die crack from the dentils through the 7 to the curl over the 1 is clear and a faint crack shows from the top of the 7 to over the 9 where is fades away. There are some very shallow low spots around ONE and ENT where debris was stuck on the die (most likely oil or grease used to lubricate the minting machinery). Both sides of this cent are plated in the 1931 Clapp reference on the cents of 1798 & 1799 as well as in the 1991 Noyes reference, and the obverse is plated in Dr. Sheldon's Early American Cents and Penny Whimsy. Graded MS60 net AU55 and tied for CC#1 in the Noyes census, his photo #21040. Bland says MS63 and CC#1. Our grade is MS63. To the best of our knowledge this is the finest example of the Small 8, Style I Hair, Reverse of 1795 type, regardless of die variety. A huge prize for the builder of a superior "Redbook" registry set. And it comes with a fabulous provenance that can be traced back 150 years. The attribution and Naftzger-Reynolds provenance are noted on the PCGS Secure label. Pop 1; none finer at PCGS for the variety (PCGS # 36002) .
Estimated Value $50,000-UP.
Ex Joseph J. Mickley 4/30/1867-W. Elliot Woodward 10th Semi-Annual Sale, 10/28/1867:1972-Richard B. Winsor, S. H. & H. Chapman 12/16/1895:856-George H. Earle, Jr, Henry Chapman 6/25/1912:3407-Dr. Henry W. Beckwith, S. H. Chapman 4/27/1923:13-Elmer S. Sears-Howard R. Newcomb, J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/7/1945:200-T. James Clarke-Dr. William H. Sheldon 4/19/1972-R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992-Eric Streiner-Jay Parrino (The Mint) 3/1997 (includes the Naftzger collection envelope).
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| Realized $114,563 |
