Lot 138
1794 S-37 R6+ NGC graded VF20. Rather glossy dark olive brown with medium brown toning covering the raised devices. The two-tone contrast accents the details and gives this cent nice eye appeal. No verdigris or marks but the planchet is covered with microscopic roughness on all but the highpoints, which are smooth. The only notable contact mark is a very light rim bruise over the E in UNITED. A microscopic planchet fissure slanting through the top of the second S in STATES can help identify this cent, but this mark is not visible without a glass. EDS, Breen state I, from the perfect state of the obverse die. The date is bold and the legends are complete and clear. Called net F15 and tied for CC#3 in the Bland census. Noyes says VF25 net VG10 and tied for CC#4 from among the 19 examples known, his photo #28800. Our grade is VF25 sharpness net F15. The obverse is plated on page 16 of the 1979 Tom Morley book on grading 1794 cents to illustrate the VF20 grade. (Dan Holmes, a previous owner of this coin, had the enviable opportunity to select between two equally net-graded examples of this variety: the coin offered here and the Newcomb:74-DuPont:53-Jack Robinson:61 example he also owned at the time. It was a tough call, but he selected this Morley coin, a decision made as much for the Morley provenance as for the sharpness and eye appeal of the coin itself.) A famous example of this very rare variety, and it comes with a wonderful provenance. The attribution and Mervis provenance are noted on the NGC label. NGC population 2 in VF, none finer for the variety. Estimate Value $100,000 - UP
Ex G. G. Finnell (who acquired it unattributed in the 1950's) 8/21/1978-Tom Morley 1/1979-Del Bland 3/25/1984-George E. Ewing, Jr. 12/1/1989 (via Darwin B. Palmer, Jr.)-R. S. Brown, Jr.-Tom Morley, Superior 5/1992:189-Tom Morley 1/5/1996-Jack Wadlington (via Bob Grellman & Chris McCawley) 6/30/2005-Daniel W. Holmes, Jr., McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Goldbergs 9/6/2009:59-Paul Gerrie-Chris McCawley (via Greg Hannigan) 6/2011-Adam Mervis, Heritage 1/10/2014:2464-Chris McCawley 1/2014-Dan Trollan Collection (includes the Morley collection envelope, a letter from Morley to Jack Wadlington discussing this cent, notes from Del Bland regarding the provenance and grade, the Holmes collection envelope, and the Goldberg lot ticket).
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| Realized $102,000 |
