Lot 38
1796 C-2 With Pole on Thick Planchet PCGS "Genuine" VF Details, Damage or Tooling. Sharpness VF25 but there is a dull, relatively strong scratch from the forehead to the bottom of the neck. The planchet is covered with microscopic granularity but there is no verdigris. The planchet has two small cracks (narrow splits in the planchet at the edge) under the 179, as struck. Slightly glossy chocolate and olive brown. The date is strong and the legends are complete. Struck a bit off center to K-1. The edge is beveled from K-6 to K-8 on the obverse and at the corresponding part of the reverse over TES-OF. Struck on a heavy planchet weighing 105.09 grains versus the standard weight of 84.0 grains (the thick planchet and heavy weight are noted on the PCGS label). Either this planchet was cut out of thick strip rolled for large cents or the planchet was made from a spoiled large cent. The tiny splits on the edge under the date suggest a spoiled large cent cut down for a half cent. That is because "strike hardening" tends to make a planchet brittle and susceptible to splitting when struck again. Tiny splits at the edge are found quite often on the 1795 C-5b and C-6b thick planchet variants, and this 1796 appears to be on a similar planchet. Regardless of the exact source of the planchet, this is the only 1796 half cent known to us that was struck on a thick planchet, and it is the only example certified as such by PCGS (although PCGS noted the heavy weight on their label, they did not assign it a different coin number for registry purposes). Our grade is VF25 sharpness net F12. The attribution, weight, and Missouri Cabinet provenance are shown on the PCGS label (PCGS # 35098) .
Estimated Value $15,000-UP.
Ex Robert McAusland 8/20/1955-Robert H. Schonwalter 9/5/1998-Schonwalter Estate, Stack's 1/21/2003:1108 ($13,750)-Chris McCawley 8/18/2004-John C. Koebert-The Butternut Company (Colonel Steven K. Ellsworth) 3/10/2012 (via Chris McCawley)-R. Tettenhorst-Missouri Cabinet (Mocab 96.2.7).
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| Realized $39,100 |
