Lot 31
1793 S-15 R6+ Liberty Cap PCGS Genuine, Good Details Damage. Glossy light chocolate brown delicately woodgrained with lighter brown. Portions of the reverse show reddish steel toning in the fields, particularly around UNITED, and those reddish areas show some extremely fine granularity. The obverse, however, is free of any trace of corrosion or verdigris. There are a few marks including two dull digs on the cap, another under the B in LIBERTY, a planchet delamination from the eye to the rim at the right, and a pair of light rim bruises on the lower half of the reverse. MDS with a fine but clearly visible radial die crack from the rim through the right side of the Y to the brow. The central portion of the reverse is bulged (as always) leaving ONE CENT and portions of the wreath weak or missing. In addition the top of the L in LIBERTY is weakly struck, which is a feature seen on the S-15 variety but not on the S-16 which shares this obverse. The S-15 is considered the "Aristocrat" of the collectible die varieties in the Sheldon series (after the 1795 S-79 Reeded Edge). Only 13 examples are known of the S-15 variety and two of those are impounded in museums. This is the discovery coin for the variety. It combines the obverse of S-16 (early) with the reverse of S-12 (late). Sylvester Crosby discovered it in the late 1860's, and he loaned it to J. N. T. Levick to include in plate of 1793 cents that was published in the April 1869 issue of the American Journal of Numismatics. This historically important cent comes with an impressive provenance. Graded G5 and CC#7 in the Breen/Bland census. Noyes says VG10 sharpness net G5 and CC#7, his photo #28458. Our grade is net G5 as well. Comes with a long, remarkable provenance. The attribution and Neiswinter provenance are noted on the PCGS label. (The winner of this lot will also receive an inscribed copy of Jim Neiswinter's book on the S-15 die variety, "The Aristocrat".) Weight 204.3 grains. Estimate Value $60,000 - UP
Ex Sylvester S. Crosby, John W. Haseltine auction #70, 6/1883:1490 ($4.00)-(possibly Colonel James W. Ellsworth-Wayte Raymond, see facing page)-Charles E. Clapp, Sr., 4/1924 ($65)-George H. Clapp (donated along with the rest of his primary collection on 12/19/1946)-ANS Collection-traded from the ANS on 1/23/1969 to Dorothy I. Paschal for an 1800 NC-2, then from Paschal on 6/1/1977 ($4000)-Philip Van Cleave, Kagin's #340, 1/30/1986:5017 ($7,700)-Jim Neiswinter Collection.
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| Realized $75,000 |
